The Korea Times

THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 19881

Art of Wine: Tasting, Note-Taking, Writing

By Ken Kim
Times Wine Writer

ho said that writing wine columns is an exact science? At least for this wine writer, it is not. In fact, everything that has to do with wine is an art m:ore than anything else. As you may recall, my last column was about the wine tasting gala at the Westin Chosun and I mentioned that Ernest Gallo had passed away as a result of a traffic accident. Well, the day the story came out, I got a fax from Gallo Korea stating that it was not Ernest but Julio who passed away. My sincere apology to the entire Gallo family for my oversight in this personal matter. Please, forgive me Earnest! I also have to talk about the candlelight of which I was so critical. Just a day after I got that fax about Ernest, I ran into Joerg Limper, the Executive Assistant Manager for the Food and Beverage of the Westin, who discreetly pointed out to me that the subject candles were not fake, electric ones. I later stopped by the Ninth Gate restaurant to see the candles again for myself. Indeed, I had been fooled! The Swiss-made casings fit the candles so tightly that I mistook them for electric ones. And now you know why I say that writing a wine column is not an exact science. Now, let me begin with what I really want to share with you today. Last Friday, an invitation to their wine tasting came from the Embassy of Chile. Chile is a vast coastal land in South America that has become a fine addition to the wine world due to the country's good soil, excellent climate and the low cost of land and labor. As I am always interested in trying the wines of the world, I accepted and attended the tasting. I was so glad I did because the setting was so much like the wine schools you see in Europe. The embassy of Chile had brought five varietals: two whites and three reds for the occasion. Master of Sommelier Hector Vergara was there to lead the tasting. By the way, the title "Master of Sommelier" means that the person has passed three days of rigorous testing administered by the prestigious Wine Institute of England. In the wine business, passing the tests is equivalent to earning a Ph.D in other fields. As always, the order of tasting started with the two white wines- Sauvignon Blanc Chicureo 1997 and Chardonnay 1996 Montes. These two varietals are very exotic in that Sauvignon Blanc almost resembles the Riesling varietal and the Chardonnay

The Andes not only provide Chile's vineyards with a natural barrier against phylloxera- they supply natural irrigation too.

is very flowery with vanilla (oak) flavor. They had a very "light body," meaning that they lacked the very punch that a typical Chardonnay usually brings to your palate. If I was asked to take a blind-fold tasting of these wines, my guesses would have been way off because they were very different in aroma as well as flavor from more common wines. Unlike the whites, the red wines Merlot Vina Gracia 1997 and Cabernet Sauvignon Vina Lomas De Cauquenes 1997- were well-balanced in every respect and could easily complement the meal of your choice without much fuss. The Cabernet Sauvignon Vieilles Vinges 1996 Chautea Los Boldos was the last varietal tasted and this cabernet really got my attention because it was a rather young wine but I could not find any of the harshness often found in a young cabernet. According to Dominique Massenez, a French oenologist for the Chateau Los Boldos, the grapes used for this particular wine are cultivated only at selected areas within the vineyard. Of course, there is no need to mention that the grapes are hand-picked and that the fermented wine is aged in French oak barrels made only from Troncias forest of France, since that is

what all fine wine makers do. Had I tasted this cabemet with the label covered, I would not have been able to tell its difference from a midrange priced French Bourdeaux right away. I must repeat that I was most impressed by this selection. There were other wines at the tasting as well and I was told that this event was an annual wine road show sponsored by the Chilean Wine Institute to promote their wines in Asia. I was also told that this was their second event and that it is going to be an ongoing affair. ne thing I noticed during the tasting is that the organizers had kindly prepared a "tasting note sheet." The most interesting thing about this were the Korean translations it featured. Quite frankly, I thought only about 10 percent of what appeared on the note sheet represented successful translations. Other wine expressions were basically written in Korean the way the words are pronounced in English. I felt only respect for the brave translator who made such a daring attempt to perfonn this task because no matter how good a translator is, it is simply impossible to find Korean words that match certain English wine terms exactly. The ones that are easily translatable

are the words used in color descriptions and a few others, but when one hears wine drinkers talking about wine tastes like chocolate or vanilla, for example, well, a Korean translator can run into some trouble. Not having the equivalent Korean vocabulary is one thing, but more basic than that, it is probably rather difficult for a Korean to relate to descriptions of the tastes of wine given from Westerners' point of view. For instance, chances are it wouldn't be easy for a Korean to imagine something like a chocolate flavor in a wine because most Koreans are not as cultured in their taste mechanisms as Westerners are. To say that they could taste chocolate in wine would be like a French or an Italian person saying "Gee, I can taste the kimchi flavor in this." Nevertheless, I must admit that I do use this expression from time to time when I come across a particularly spicy wine, but I feel I can do this because I am a Korean-American. Another comment I have about the note sheet relates to the frequent questions I received when I was working on it, like "Why do you do all this note-taking when your purpose is just to enjoy the wine?" Perhaps the observation of note-takers staring at, smelling and then swiveling wine about in their mouths as if it might have been chemically poisoned has something to do with the asking of these types of questions. In fact, a newcomer to the wine world might even think that the wine taster doing all these things has a serious problem with his nose or some other disorder. But, of course, there is no need to worry. More often than not, he just wants to experience the taste of the wine more fully. One rule of the thumb concerning wine is that the more experienced the wine-taster, the greater fuss he or she will make in drinking it. And, if you think about it, it is all part of the fun of drinking wine. Wine, unlike any other food, can be a great source of excitement to those who truly enjoy it. As a form of art which assists one to remember things like romantic places, special people, history, scenery, climate, countries and many other things, it is only natural that one would take the time to enjoy every sip, sniff and swallow of it. So even at the risk of being mistaken for a person with some strange habits, take your time in savoring your wine. Do not to drink it the way some Koreans drink soju, which is more or Jess "the faster the better." You should try to get a strong sense of the elements in a wine when you drink it, especially when you confront a wine you have never had before.

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