KMK: Wine Expo 2008

On Saturday I ventured to COEX shopping center to attend the sixth international Seoul Wine Expo. I’d heard about the expo online and had been anxiously awaiting the day of sipping fine wine. Two of my friends met me at the Atlantic hall. We queued up, filled out the paper work, paid our 20,000 won, scooped up our badges and complementary wine glass, and moseyed into the Hall with ripe grapes on the brain.

I have to admit that the whole affair was both exciting as well as intimidating. About the only things I know about wine are the colors. So you can imagine how a huge exhibition hall jammed packed with exhibitors plying their stock to a horde of vendors and visitors would be daunting. Yet, even without a Wine for Dummies book on hand the staff made the experience enjoyable and easy for a wine newbie.

To give you an idea of the variety to be sampled there were over one hundred and fifty companies and three hundred booths. The exhibitors came from such far off destinations as from Australia, Italy, Argentina, the US, Germany, and South Africa boasting varieties like pinot noir, chardonnay, merlot, and Riesling. There was a veritable bounty of beverages to be explored and I did the best I could to get my poor palate up to speed. However, I think the sheer amount of flavors to sort out overloaded and overwhelmed my taste buds.

Seeing the professional tasters at work with their techniques or swirling, examining, sniffing and spitting was fun to watch. Although, since we could actually drink the wine, it might not have been as much fun for them as it was for us. There was so much to sample that getting a little tipsy was unavoidable.

As the wine flowed the day flew by in a blink of an eye. The next thing we knew it was time to say our goodbyes to all those lovely grapes. If you missed out, no worries, because there’s always next year.