Korea’s Best Sommelier 2008

Korea’s Best Sommelier 2008 Seoul

Hyo Seok Ko wins the competition “Korea’s Best Sommelier” 2008
On 2nd July 2008, the final of the competition for “Korea’s Best Sommelier for French wines” was held at the Millennium Hotel in Seoul. Jury members included two professional Korean sommeliers, Mr Kogai (President of the ASI and the Sommelier Association of Japan), Mr Jean-Charles Crouin (Secretary-General of the ASI), two members of staff from the CIVB (Bordeaux Wine Trade Council), Mr Vincent and Mr Loridon, and Mr Jean-Pascal Paubert (Treasurer of the UDSF). All stages of the competition were assessed as being of a good standard by President Kogai and after the announcement of the results the winner was invited to take part in the finals of the forthcoming Japanese competition, which will be held on 9th October 2008 in Nagano.

M. Kazuyoshi Kogai, Hyo Seok Ko, M. Jean-Charles Crouin

The 7th event of this competition organised by the Sopexa in Korea with the financial backing of the Ministry for Agriculture and Fisheries, was held this year in close collaboration with the two Korean sommelier associations: the Sommelier Association of Korea (SAK) and the Korean International Sommelier Association (kISA).
The number of sommeliers who take part in this competition grows each year: from 30 in 2006, at the very first event, the number rose to 310 in 2008. The general public is showing an increasingly keen interest too, generating significant press spin-offs (455 000 Euros in advertising value in 2007). Various French trade associations (CIVA – Alsace Wine Trade Council, CIVB – Bordeaux Wine Trade Council, BIVB – Burgundy Wine Trade Committee and InterRhône) participate as sponsors.

M. Kazuyoshi Kogai (Président de l'ASI et de la JSA), M. Jean-Charles Crouin (Secrétaire général de l'ASI), M. Jean-Pascal Paubert (trésorier de l'UDSF).

The various phases of the competition

Qualifying round – a written test,

15th April at the Seoul Plaza Hotel

For this part of the competition, 310 sommeliers were enrolled for the selection of the 20 best sommeliers in the semi-finals. The written test was a multiple-choice questionnaire; it was followed by a blind tasting of 3 wines. On the same day and at the same hotel, 22 French producers presented their wines to Korean wine professionals during a small exhibition.

2nd phase of the competition, a practical test,

30th May at the Seoul Plaza Hotel

The test comprised of a blind tasting of 10 wines, as well as a practical and technical test preceded the selection of 8 of the best candidates to go through to the final. A seminar about Burgundy wines and a professional tasting were organised at the occasion of the semi-final. Representatives of 28 Burgundy estates travelled to Korea to attend, much to the delight of Korean professionals (Burgundy wines are currently enjoying a boom in sales in Korea).

The final,

2nd July a the Millennium Hilton Hotel

Open to the general public and the press (150 spectators and 42 journalists attended), the competition was held in 3 stages: firstly a blind tasting, followed by a recommendation of wines to match a particular dish and a suggestion of dishes to be served with a specific wine, and finally the decantation of a wine.
The jury was comprised of 10 wine specialists, including Mr Kazuyoshi Kogai - President of the ASI, Mr Jean-Charles Crouin – Secretary-General of the ASI and Director of Sopexa Asia, and Mr Jean-Pascal Paubert, President of the UDSF Bordeaux-Aquitaine Sommelier Association (UDSF BA), who was also technical consultant for the 2008 competition.
On the day of the final, a workshop for blending Bordeaux wines was presented by Mr Jean-Pascal Paubert, Mr Kazuyoshi Kogai and Mr Jean-Charles Crouin. Mr Pascal Loridon, from the Bordeaux Wine Trade Council also took part in this workshop.

The award ceremony,

held in the evening of 2nd July

The French Ambassador in Korea, Mr Philippe Thiebaud, attended the award ceremony along with members of the jury and candidates’ supporters. The presence of members of the ‘Maîtres des Conseils en Gastronomie Française’ brotherhood bestowed a true ceremonial touch to this prizegiving.
As a culmination of this event, Mr Kazuyoshi Kogai officially invited the winner of the competition to take part in the semi-final of the competition for “Japan’s Best Sommelier”, to be held in Nagano, in October this year.

Winners of the competition for “Korea’s Best Sommelier” 2008:

1st: Hyo Seok KO (Naos Nova)
2nd: KIM Jun Keun (Lee Haus)
3rd: Chang Mo (Ritz Carlton Hotel)
4th: PARK Hae Won (Sheraton Walker Hill Hotel)
5th: SHIN Young Cheol (Seoul Plaza Hotel)

Comments:

Mr Hyo Seok KO, sommelier at the Naos Nova wine bar, winner of the title “Korea’s Best Sommelier” 2008: “I have constantly asked myself this question right from the start of my career: “What is a sommelier’s role?” I still don’t have a definite answer, but thanks to all the preparations I’ve accomplished and my participations in competitions, I’m now beginning see the definition of my profession more clearly.”
Mr Jean-Pascal Paubert: “This event was a very pleasant surprise. The competition was perfectly organised by Sopexa Korea and the finalists’ standard of skills is on a par with sommeliers who take part in regional competitions in France.”

Mr Kazuyoshi Kogai: “I readily invited the champion of this competition to participate in the forthcoming contest in Japan, because he deserves to try his luck!”

A study trip

Winners of this competition were awarded a prize of a two-week study trip to France, to give them the opportunity to perfect their knowledge of the wines of Bordeaux, Alsace and the Côtes du Rhône.