Vineworks Korea

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Anyone who knows me well knows I have a fondness for wine.  My personal perspective on wine is that the best bottle is quite simply the one you enjoy.  I seem to have found a kindred spirit in Ian Ashworth, Founder and Proprietor of Vineworks Korea!

Vineworks Korea

Vineworks Korea has been going strong for about a year and a half.  They host wine events all around Seoul.  They’ve now decided to get their own proprietary space and have spent the past 3 months in what they call the Vineworks “living room”.  This small space is tucked away in an alley between Hapjeong and Sangsu stations on the 4th floor of a glass building.  The plan is to make it a comfortable and relaxed place.  The idea is to connect the senses. Connect wine, senses, and people.  They have a kitchen on the 5th floor is where food is prepared, wine is shared, and people get educated, happy, and fat!  While I might not be on board for the “fat” part, I adore a glass of wine at the end of the day and wholeheartedly believe in cheat day!

Vineworks Korea was created with three passions in mind: wine, language, and community.  They want to “use wine as the lubricant in the communication engine”.  At Vineworks Korea, Ian is clearly passionate about wine (and urban gardening!).  He speaks a mile a minute with such excitement you can’t help but follow on the edge of your seat.  Moving forward, Wednesdays and Fridays will be event nights open to the public.  Beyond those times the space and services are available for rental with packages inclusive of just the space, an extravagant catered soiree, and everything in between.  Wednesdays will primarily be vegetarian dining.  Each week will feature a new and exciting theme.  The Vineworks Korea team aims to explore new cultures through fine ingredients and home-cooked food.  Each recipe has a story!  The goal of these events is simple: to gain the confidence to open up a menu and order a proper bottle (or glass) of wine you like!

4 Simple Rules…

You don’t have to be a dick about tasting wine:

  1. Look at it.  Make sure there’s nothing wrong with it (ahem, make sure there’s no shit in it).  Is it the colour it should be?  Look at it with a white background and tilt it slightly to admire its shade.
  2. Swirl – release the aromas.  The shape of the wine glass is designed to release those smells.
  3. Smell – stick your nose in it, give it a big whiff, and let it go to the back of your throat.
  4. Sip – try the wine!  Now that you’ve admired it and salivated over it give it a big ol’ sip!  Let the wine rest on your tongue a bit before you swallow.  Yes, swallow.  Enjoy your wine.  At these tastings there’s no need to spit it out in an effort to pretend you’re kosher and classy.
Our event on Wednesday was designed to introduce some Seoul bloggers to Italian wines.  We began with some cava (Spanish bubbles – just to celebrate before digging into the old country).  Once Ashworth had introduced us to the comprehensive Vineworks Korea vision, we moved onto a fresh rosé.  I wish we had been able to get a closer look at each bottle, if only to tell you exactly which to get if you want a rosé that isn’t too potent on the sweet scale (read on…Ashworth sent me the goods!).  While sipping rosé we smelled 8 scents to see if we could guess what the fragrance might be. We had t, plums, baking spice (cinnamon), strawberries, cherries, black currants, blackberries, leather, and raspberries on our list.  I was fairly confident in my selections, but only got 4 out of 9 right!
 Over the course of the evening we were treated to: 
  • Chispas – Spanish sparkling (Cava) in a an Italian style – Method Charmat (While the Traditional Fermentation’s second fermentation happens in a bottle, the Charmat’s or Tank’s method takes place in a large closed pressure tank making for softer bubbles.  This particular bottle featured an extra fruity taste!)
  • La Perugia – Rosé – Very popular Bio-organic Italian Rosé.
  • La Perugia – EOS – Bio-Organic wine from Veneto DOC, North East Italy – loads of strawberry and cherry flavours.
  • Querceto Chianti – black cherry and leather.
  • Doppio Passo Primativo (Puglia) – chocolate and baking spice.

The Food

The menu was delightful (and plentiful!).  We enjoyed vegetarian quiche (tomato and spinach, Ashworth’s Mum’s recipe), garlic shrimp (Jordi from Barcelona’s Brothers favourite recipe), and a selection of cheeses (including Pecorino – cheese made in the  same traditional method and recipe as Roman Legionnaires ate 2000 years ago).  We also had homemade soft tacos with refried beans (lentils) courtesy of Mogo, a new meal-in-a-box service designed for Koreans and Expats on the go.  While their tasty lentil tacos didn’t quite fit the Italian theme, they hit the spot with great flavour and even better textures.  I must contact them for their cooking tips in Korean kitchens!

Business Development

Beyond social events, Vineworks Korea offers a variety of services for Koreans and Foreigners alike.   Ashworth says that there’s roughly a 50/50 split between Koreans and Foreigners who employ the professional services available through Vineworks Korea.  “Wine is language upon the lips” according to Virginia Woolf.  Since wine can enable inhibitions to be lost, it’s Ashworth’s belief that wine should paired with language learning.  According to their website, they offer experiences for “professional learners looking to improve business, networking and etiquette skills.”  They also offer a course for “wine lovers who wish to improve their communicative, interactive and social skills – or just have some fun learning about wine!”

UPCOMING EVENTS:

  • Every Tuesday – Spanish evening & a tour of Spain.
  • Vegetarian Wednesdays – exploring bio-dynamic, natural and vegetarian wines  – Wednesdays from 7:30 PM.
  • Fridays in April – French Friday – Exploring Bordeaux (April 7th), Burgundy pinots (April 14th), and Cotes Du Rhone (April 21st) casual wine exploration and bar evening.
  • April 13th – Charity fundraiser (TBC) for the deaf – raising alternative communication awareness.
  • Sundays in April – Roast Beef and Bordeaux (April 16th), Seriously Syrah & Lamb – traditional British Sunday Roast with red wines (April 30th).
  • April 23rd – South African Braai – Rooftop BBQ and Spring party afternoon.

Contact Vineworks Korea

Opening hours: Events registration only, but check back for “open bar” casual roof top evenings more regularly with the weather getting warmer.

MOGO Meal Delivery Service Seoul Korea Vegetarian Vineworks Korea

Mogo

Shout-out to Mogo: “the healthy way to eat conveniently.”  No dietary restrictions (they work with almost all dietary restrictions).  Healthy, nutritious, shockingly affordable (each kit feeds 2-3 real people), delicious, free of any artificial colours, flavours, preservatives, and additives.  They also ship anywhere in Korea and every new account gets a free meal kit coupon!

website:  www.mogoeats.co.kr

instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/teammogogogo/

twitter: https://twitter.com/realmogo

facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TeamMogoGoGo

Like it? Pin it to your Pinterest Board and make sure to check out Vineworks Korea soon!

Vineworks Korea Seoul Blogger Wine Event - Learn, eat, drink, communicate!

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