If asked to name a country associated with fine wines, chances are that South Korea wouldn’t be at the top of your list. Nevertheless, in a society where visible indicators of wealth are everything, affluent South Koreans are quietly developing an increasing taste for high end vintages.
o one can accuse South Koreans of not enjoying a tipple. Indeed, as a nation, the people of South Korea imbibe a seriously boozy 931 million litres of alcohol annually, and boast a heroic per capita intake which places the country at number eleven in world rankings, well ahead of the UK. The vast majority of this consumption is accounted for by a remarkable ingestion of spirits and, to a lesser extent, beer. In recent years, however, wine has enjoyed a surge in popularity. In December of last year supermarket sales of the imported beverage outstripped those of the country’s home-grown soju liquor for the first time.
If one man can be credited with being at the centre of this shift in drinking habits it must certainly be Lee Hi-sang, chairman of DongA One Group. Until the age of 33 a rare teetotaller in a country with such an enthusiastic approach to drinking, it was in 1978 that Lee had his first taste of a French wine and instantly fell in love. From that point on, he made it his mission to introduce his fellow countrymen to the joys of a fine vintage and began to import high-end wines from across the globe.
the people of South Korea imbibe a seriously boozy 931 million litres of alcohol annually
It is a mission in which Mr. Lee has enjoyed significant success, both financial and personal. With annual sales topping 32 billion won (approximately £19 million), the 2007 vintage of the company’s own Lotus Cabernet, produced from grapes grown in Lee’s vineyard in the Napa Valley, received a perfect score of 100 points from esteemed wine critic Robert Parker, only to repeat the trick with the 2010 vintage.
Mr Lee see’s the increasing popularity of wine in his home country as symptomatic of shift in lifestyle among the nation’s more affluent citizens who see Western influenced luxury goods as visible markers of economic and social success. It is a lifestyle which Mr Lee has deftly exploited to his own significant financial gain – his company, originally a flour mill business, has expanded into the importation of a range of high value, luxury goods. In addition to fine wines, DongA One Group recently became the official importers of Ferrari and Maserati super cars.
wine has enjoyed a surge in popularity
‘People ask me why I import wines and Ferrari’, Mr Lee stated in a recent interview with The Korea Herald, ‘but this is all part of my vision to pursue the best in everything.’ It is a vision which an increasing section of South Korea’s wealthy also appear to hold dear.
