The Korea Times

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2001 1 3

A Piece of Italy at Lotte
---------------. up for culinary excellence in time
ByKenKim for the 2002 World Cup. The
Times Wine Writer seafood there was my clinncr
T
he most loved Italian wine,
in case you are still search-
ing for one. is undoubtedly
the Chianti. It is also the wine that
is consumed the most among
world travellers from Paris to San
Francisco. The name Chianti is
synonymous with Toscana. called
Tuscany by English speakers.
Anyone who has had an encounter
with Italian wines should recall
the round Chianti bottles whose
bottoms are wrapped with straw.
An interesting twist for this pop-
ular wine is the nightmare associ-
ated with cellaring it because of its
oddly-shaped bottle. Knowing the
inconvenience. Chianti shippers
began packing the bottles in more
user-friendly bottles so you won't
always find them wrapped in straw
anymore. Brunello di Montalcino
is one brand of Chianti and is the
subject of today' s column.
A quick perspective on thi s ro-
bust Chianti red wine: Brunella di
Montalcino comes from the vast
region of Chianti located approxi-
mately 65 kilometers south of
Siena, a post card perfect me-
dieval hill town no travelers want
to miss. Here. one can frolic in
majestic waves and explore the
rough stone castles that await tire-
less backpackers all year long.
The red wine grapes grown in
this part of Italy are best known as
Sangiovese. however folks here
refer to them as Brunello instead.
The obvious reason for this claim
is due to its microclimate that is
warmer and drver than its neigh-
boring areas as most Brunelle
grapes are grown on hillsides.
Without a doubt, the taste of this
wine speaks for itself and I had
the pleasure of reaffirming the
smell of Brunello soil once again
last week at Schoenbrunn, the
llagship restaurant of the original
Lotte hotel in downtown Seoul.
The vintage for the Brunelltl I
tasted at venue was 1995 and
had cvcrvthin!..! net dcd to (!
l recall rrwking
a tastin!! note i'Dr lhis \vine two
years a!!.O wht:n I w;ts in Si cn:.l ;.111d
ihe notC up containing cl ose
to eight sqJarate rncssagcs. Wirat I
rncctn bv here is the
wi.th:' ' s "'c mission. often
Chianti Bottles
called "complexity". This time, al-
though f didn' t get them all, I had
no trouble reading parts of them
such as spice, chocolate, strawber-
rv, tobacco and vanilla.
'Brunelle di Montalcino, unlike
other Chianti labels, has a unique
wine making process in that it har-
vests grapes in late fall as long as
there were no early autumn rains.
A late harvest means a higher sug-
ar level in grapes and this gives
flexibility to the regions's wine
makers so that they can monitor
and terminate the fermentation
process at right moment. The grape
skins are left in the vat for a period
of several weeks in order to extract
a greater amount of color and tan-
nin which all contribute to the
overall characteristics of this wine.
The food complemented by this
outstanding Chianti red label in-
eluded, among others, grilled goose
liver prepared and presented by the
assistant chef of Schoenbrunn. Mr.
Ki-Yup Lee. This wasn't an ordi-
nmy goose liver I must say. It was a
seasoned liver cooked at the right
temperature with mushroom sau'Ce,
along with a sprinkle of hand
picked garden salad. The presenta-
tion was equally fabulous that I
must salute the excellence of Mr.
Yi's culinary work.
As you ail will agree, wining at
the right venue can be a lifetime
experience and Schoenbrunn is
one of them, indeed. Earlv in the
month, l also had an opportunity
to venture clown to the Pusan
Lotte. I didn' t didn't find another
Schoenbrunn down there but there
was the Venezia instead. The
Venezia is the flagship restaurant
of this Lotte outlet and is gearing
79
ent.r ;;.. with'' Soave
ni 19Yx. -
Like Chianti. Soave is a be,;t-
Italian white wine originat
ing Veneto. a shnrt
rhe porr of Venezia which
English speakers call Ve nice.
Since the chance that one will or-
der a pasta entree is high at any
Ita! ian restaurant. the wine selec-
tion in general consists of white
wine. as it is relatively
easy to drink, for many is the pop-
ular choice here. What 1 mean by
easy is that the wine has no sharp
corners. As I have often men-
tioned in the past, a premium
white should taste like gasoline
thus making it difficult for novice
drinkers to appreciate. Soave, for
some, may not be within the rim
of a premium class wine, but it is
the most drinkable one.
Hotel Lotte, unlike other hotels
with nothing but dull concrete
walls, has a renaissance era interi-
or, making it a true treasure. It
gives me the fee ling as if
Michelangelo has visited there
just yesteiday. Whenever I walk
into the lobby, it always brings me
back to the memory of the grand
tour I took of the Vatican' s St. Pe-
ter Church many years ago. The
feeling of being a modern time
Roman becomes more genuine the
longer one stays here. A former
Chaebol executive. Mr. Sand-Rok
Suh. now working as a waiter at
the Schoenbrunn here once said to
me that no other hotel will be able
to match the beauty and elegance
of the Lotte as it would not
economic sense to build a new
one todav.
Those insist on only the best
are recommended to check out ei-
ther of the Lotte hotels . Call ahead
if you are planning to visit. as you
will get the royal treatment.
Schoenbrunn (02) 3!7-7 181
Venezia (051) 810-6320 Before
there i,; one last wine
news item to add. A recepti on on
the occasion of the launch of a
wine portal site (hestwine.co.krl
was held last week at the Grand
I ntcr-Conti ncnt;!l 's V t' ::othcquc.
The founder. Mr. Kwang P. Eun
hopes this site will he helpful
t<>o! for all tnembcrs of the wiill:
community.