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| Choi Hoon / Courtesy of Institute for Resources Evaluation |
‘Because of wine,' connoisseur says in his book
By Kim Jae-heun
Former public servant-turned-connoisseur Dr. Choi Hoon never expected to become an expert in wine when he earned a master's degree in business administration and joined the Ministry of Transportation in 1961. But his overseas experience while studying in France in the late 1960s gave him a rare chance to experience diverse European wines.
"I am a member of the first wine generation in Korea," said Choi during an interview with The Korea Times. "While I was working at the tourist bureau, the French government offered me the chance to take a one-year hotel management course. Wine is major part of the French table, so I learned about it."
Choi fell in love with European fermented alcohols and it was natural for him to study more about the history of wine. As he became a wine aficionado, he felt responsible for spreading the wine culture in Korea, where the imported drink was only available at hotels in the 1960s and 1970s.
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| Cover of "History and Wines" by Choi Hoon |
After his retirement in 1994, Choi published his first book, "All About Wines," in 1997. Most of the wine beginners back then deferred to his knowledge because not many were lucky enough to study wine.
Choi did not obtain a certificate as a sommelier himself, but opened a wine academy in 2000 to foster professional wine testers. The connoisseur also wrote books about famous winery regions he visited every two or three years. He wrote six books, covering 50 subjects ― 40 based on historical figures and 10 related to important events.
"My seventh book, ‘History & Wines,' contains interesting anecdotes related to particular regional wines that I came across while writing the previous episodes," Choi said. "When I organized the stories in chronological order, it completed a piece on the history. Then, I realized that history can be easy and fun when you learn it through wines. People who enjoyed fermented grape juice are the people who made histories."
The 364-page "History & Wines" describes how wine influenced the lives and achievements of historical figures like state owners, heroes, warriors and revolutionists.
One episode says that Napoleon lost the Battle of Waterloo because he did not drink wine of Le Chambertin. Another episode on Charles Chaplin's favorite wine is a story that Choi heard directly from the owner of a house where Chaplin spent his last days.
"Wine made the history and wine itself is a history," Choi said. "I hope Koreans enjoy wine more often, as it plays an important role in building one's characteristic connections around."
The wine expert is a CEO of the Institute for Resources Evaluation that publishes two monthly magazines about wine, Japanese fermented alcohol sake and travel. His wine academy has produced nearly 1,000 sommeliers.
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