Ep. 1799 Sangmi Kim | Wine, Food & Travel With Marc Millon

The Italian wine podcast is the community driven platform for Italian winegeeks around the world. Support the show by donating at Italianwine podcast dot com. Donate five or more Euros, and we'll send you a copy of our latest book, my Italian GrapeGeek journal. Absolutely free. To get your free copy of my Italian GreatGeek journal, click support us at Italianpodcast dot com, or wherever you get your pods. Welcome to wine food and travel. With me, Mark Billen, on Italian wine podcast. Listen in as we journey to some of Italy's most beautiful places in the company of those who know them best. The families who grow grapes and make fabulous wines. Through their stories, we will learn not just about their wines, but also about their ways of life, the local and regional foods and specialties that pair naturally with their wines, and the most beautiful places to visit. We have a wonderful journey of discovery ahead of us. And I hope you will join me. Welcome to wine food and travel with me, Mark Millen, on Italian wine podcast. Today, it's my great pleasure to travel to Seoul, Korea, to meet my guest, Siangmi Kim, wine writer, communicator, educator, mentee, and friend. Sangmy, thanks so much for being my guest today. It's great to hear your voice. It's been a few years since we last met. How are you? I'm very fine. Hi, Mark. How are you? It's, it's really nice to hear your voice. Yeah. Likewise. It's a very cold day here in Devon, but I'm imagining it's even colder in Korea. Well, it was, you know, last week, it was really cold. It went down to minus ten degrees Celsius, but this week, it is quite warm. Oh, oh, that's good. I saw some pictures you posted of some beautiful snow covered scenes. Oh, yes. That was, Tuesday last week. Oh, okay. Yeah. Now, Sangmy, you originally worked in a completely different sector in the IT sector, and I met you just after you decided to leave a very successful career and forge a new profession in wine. What were you doing previously? Why did you decide to leave that profession? And were you always passionate about wine? Yeah. I was, working as an IT professional, and it was in two thousand five. My company relocated me to Lisbon, well, there I discovered my love for wine because, you know, I couldn't find any soju in Lisbon. So I started drinking Portuguese wines instead. Well, to be honest, I didn't know about wine. And, because wine was not that popular in South Korea, that time. I didn't have much chance to enjoy it, but Portuguese wines were really delicious, and, they made me fall in love with wine. After two years, I was relocated again to Austria, and there I found the Austrian wines very different from Portuguese wines. I was quite surprised to discover the variety of wines, so I started studying wine from WESET level two. And finally in, twenty twelve, I decided to quit my job and changed my career to wine. I was living in London then, and, studying WST diploma. Well, you know, WSTT has a very good curriculum about wine, but I wanted to study wine in a different point of view. For example, in historical and sociological perspectives, so I applied for the master's program of food wine and culture at Oxford footbrook's university. And that's where I met you. I was in fact your mentor while you were there. And I know how hard you worked Yeah. To to gain an outstanding advanced degree. How was that Oxford experience for you? Did you enjoy your year studying? It was a big decision to go from being a professional to being a student again. Yeah. Studying for my master's degree was much harder than I expected, because I was studying for my WSD diploma in parallel. You know, I had to read a lot of papers, books, and, materials and prepare for discussions. And most of all, academic writing was the most challenging part for me, since I had only done business writing before, and the terminology used in academia was very different from that of the, IT industry. So I had to do everything from scratch. However, I never regretted my decision to study the masters you know, not even a single moment, even though I didn't have enough time to sleep. I really enjoyed those days. The most challenging time was when I was writing my dissertation, I did the research about Korean Food and wine pairing, a subject that I always wanted to explore. It was really fun to study about the topic that I like, even though I was extremely busy doing surveys, interviews, I think that period was one of the best times of my life. And as a result, I got very good grade. And, you know, recently, one of my wine students also entered Oxford Brooks to study Y market. Oh, good. Yeah. I wrote a letter of reference for him. Good. And he said he chose the school because of me. Uh-huh. I was really happy to hear that. Oh, that's really, really good to hear such a positive experience. Now I was speaking to Don Slowen. Just yes, today. Dawn who, of course, was the head of the school of hospitality management when you were there. And he sent you his warm regards. He was very pleased to hear of how your career has gone since you left Oxford. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I missed on too. Well, you perhaps you'll meet up again. I see him off and we're still in touch. He's doing some really interesting things too. Now, Sangmy, after you completed your masters, And I remember it. I have your dissertation right next to me. We'll talk about that a little bit later. What did you do? How did you establish yourself as a wine professional? Because you managed to do that quite quickly. Well, originally my plan was to continue my studies for PhD in Oxford Brooks, but, unfortunately, I was unable to do so because I was very ill. You know, I think I spent all my energy to achieve my master's and, WST diploma. I was suffering from a serious cervical disc problem and, stomach disorder. Which made it impossible for me to continue my studies. Oh. So I, yeah, so I decided to take a break for a year and return to Korea. Then, by chance, I had an opportunity to write about wine for a weekly news magazine and give wine lectures. And my articles and lectures received a very positive feedback and I was given more opportunities to write and teach. Well, as I enjoyed meeting a lot of new people through my work, I decided to carry on as a wine journalist and educator. And now I am writing for three news medias and teaching wine in academy and universities. Okay. Well, that's, that's a wonderful story. I followed your career, and I've been very proud of how you've So quickly established yourself as a hugely respected wine writer journalist and educator in Korea, and I know you worked hard to achieve that. So congratulations on on how you made a new life for yourself. Thank you. We've also recently been appointed the Managing Director of the Wine Academy. What were this job entail? And will you still be able to teach classes yourself? Yes. My main job as a managing director is teaching, including WST programs, and the master classes, seminars, Monday classes. And in addition, I also do communications with overseas wine program providers, such as WSTT and wine Scoreogu. Yeah. That's my job. Okay. So a a a busy, a busy and fulfilling job. I'm sure. Who are the your students? Who who wants to learn about wine in Korea? Well, a lot of people, you know, like, Some of them are university students and, you know, some just normal people as well, also some restaurant owners, some really has, of course, for for example, WST level two has really, you know, variety of people there. Well, level three. Yeah. I can see, you know, more professional staff. Uh-huh. Okay. And do you feel that since you've been back in Korea, there's a more interest in wine and, greater awareness and knowledge are people actually much more aware that, yeah, I I remember when I visited Korean. It is a long time ago, maybe over thirty years ago. It was difficult to find wine in in a dining context or even in homes. Actually, you know, the interest in wine, has significantly increased, especially during the pandemic period. Oh, how interesting? I think that's been the case in a lot of countries. Yes. I think so. There wasn't much else to do. You know, due to the restrictions on travel, social interactions, people stayed home and, so they chose, you know, something better to drink. And as a result, wine has become a popular choice over beer. Or soju, which people would, you know, now typically consume, comparing two thousand nineteen and two thousand twenty two in Korea, the wine import doubled both in volume and value. Wow. That's a very impressive statistic. Yeah. Last year, as people started to, you know, traveling and spending their disposable income outside again, we experienced a slowdown in the wine market. But still, what I heard is that the amount of wine consumption and the wine import is higher than that of two thousand nineteen. Wow. Amazing. I can't tell you the exact figures because the yearly statistics of two thousand twenty three have not been delivered yet. However, it is evident that wine consumption is on an increasing trend. I can see more restaurants have, started putting wines on their menu, and many dining places now allow BYOB. This shows that Koreans are now enjoying drinking wine, not only at home, but also outside, not only in Italian or French restaurants, but also in Korean, Japanese, Chinese restaurants. This trend also led to a big increase in the number of wine students. Okay. That's that's really interesting. And do you find that the students are or or the wine consumers in Korea are younger generation? Normally, they are in their twenties thirties, but, we also see some keep in their seventies as well. Okay. Great. Good. Well, tell me also about Korean grape wines because I know you've written about Korean wines. I've never tasted any. Is this a new development, and will we see more Korean wines even in international markets? Korean wine grape cultivation began, twenty, twenty five years ago. But, you know, when when I returned to Korea ten years ago, and tasted Korean wines, they were quite disappointing. However, you know, over the years, the quality of Korean wines has improved dramatically. I'm serving as a wine judge for Korea wine spirits, awards and Asia wine trophy where I taste wines from all over the world, including, Korean wines. Every year I discover how how quickly the quality of Korean wines has been improving. Well, we have several varieties such as Chung and Chung. They are, white grapes. Chung soo is greasy and has fresh citrusy flavors, making dry wipes and sweet wines. Some premium sweet wines made with chung soo taste quite similar to German riesling, you know. Oh my. Yeah. And chung hang is quite aromatic with flowery notes. I've tasted some sparkling wines made from Changang, and they have flavors of ripe fruits and flowers like Catasha. And, red wines, we have, Kembert early. That's a cable gray, but we use this for winemaking as well. Red wines made from Kimberly has a delicate nuance of soy sauce, and I think that makes the variety to go well with Korean dishes. In addition, we have some varieties developed from Korean wild grapes. They are really interesting. We call it sun model, and it ripens very late. You know, because Korea has a rainy summer. Late ripening is good because they have time to evaporate its excessive water from the berries to concentrate sugar and flavors. And, summer is quite tangy. So it is often, blended with cambaroli, which has lower tannies. Well, interesting. I'll look forward to one day tasting these wines with you. Yeah. I promise that I will bring some bottles for you when there is a deep. Great. Now I know you work with wines from around the world and your first love was Portuguese ones, but I know you have a deep knowledge of and a connection with Italian wines. What attracts you to Italian wines? I'm a great fan of Italian wines, and I, yeah, and I really love their diversity. There are so many different types, you know, from light to refreshing and to firm and concentrated, elegant, bold. You know, even though I drink Italian wise all year round, I'm sure that I can still taste some different styles each time. However, you know, this diversity made it difficult for me when I was studying, my WSTT diploma. There were so many regions, varieties that I had to learn by heart. But but despite this challenge, Italian wise, never made me get bored. There is always something new to discover. You're absolutely right. And you you're right too. Italian wines can be confusing and difficult to master the number of native grape varieties. And as you say, wine is made in every one of Italy's twenty regions. Now, a a connection that I think is important is that in Italy one rarely drinks wine without eating. And the same seems to me to be part of the drinking culture in Korea. Whether one's at a restaurant or in homes or in a roadside tent, the consumption of alcohol is always linked to eating something delicious, a nibble, an anjou. Would you say they're There similarities in the approach to the enjoyment of wine in Italy as well as in Korea. Yeah. Well, in Korea, it is not common to drink alcohol without food. Yep. That applies to all alcohol, not just wine. I, remember an interesting story. An old colleague of mine who visited Korea told me that you Koreans really eat a lot he said, you know, after dinner, his Korean friends took him for drinks and then ordered a lot of dishes again. That was another huge meal he said. Yeah. And Well, Koreans believe that drinking alcohol with our food is bad for your health. Yeah. Which is true. And, Koreans have a culture of Joanne Seng. Do you know Joanne Seng? No. It it is a separate table setting for drinks and snacks. Oh, okay. Which we call Anju. Yes. So, yeah, our table with drink and Anju, we call it chuan sam. Okay. Well, yeah, Anju refers to the snacks for drinks. So, well, traditionally, Koreans have developed, various recipes for Anju. And, many kinds of Anju also, go very well with wine. And that was well actually the main topic for my dissertation, Korean Food and wine pairing. Yes. Well, let's turn to that now as well. I I think actually is saying me one thing that also strikes me is that when I visited Korea, I found that one of the friendliest countries I've ever been to in the way that Italy is friendly, and that friendship often comes around the table with food and the sharing of food. Yes. And and whether it's soju or or beer or wine, it's it's a very convivial way of sharing Yeah. And enjoying life. Yes. And I think the there's some similarities maybe show a link between the characters in, of the Italian character and and also the Korean character. Yes. Coming back to America, Van Italy International Academy, the ultimate Italian wine qualification be held in New York City from four to six March twenty twenty four. Have you got what it takes to become the next Italian wine ambassador? Find out at benito Lee dot com. Now your your dissertation and I have it here an exploratory study to develop Korean food and wine pairing criteria. As you say, it was an academic study. I know that was a challenge. It was a very rigorous with academic research that that had to be tested, and I know you did a a really, really good job on that and got a distinction without going into the, you know, the details of this very rigorous study. Let's just talk about how sticking with Italian wines, How do Italian wines work? Do they work particularly well with Korean foods? And what are maybe some of the pairings or food pairings that you think are listeners when they are enjoying Korean food? What should they be looking for? When they're looking to pair wines with Korean foods. You know, I think I can talk about this for hours. Yes. I can't say. Yeah. Let let me mention, you know, just some of the most popular Korean foods here. Thanks to their diversity. Italian wines are a great match for Korean cuisine. You know that many Korean dishes have a strong flavors. So if you want to choose something safe, I'd recommend, refreshing Italian white, such as, you know, soave, gavi, greco. Yeah. Because the crispness of the wines can clean your palette. One of the most popular Korean dishes is bibimbap. Yeah. Which consists of vegetables with rice and you put the spicy chili sauce there. For bibimbap, I, I will recommend, yeah, Italian whites and other spicy dishes like, kimchi or tteokbokki. You can also they, yeah, they can be also paired with dry Italian whites, but also, you know, muscatodasti and off dry prosecco can be a good choice too because, normally, the alcohol makes spiciness stronger. But, Moscow Dasty has lower alcohol and some sweetness, which is very effective in, calming down the burning sensation of your palate. Oh, how fascinating. I never would have thought of that combination. Yeah. You better try that. And the pregogi is another famous Korean dish isn't it. Uh-huh. Yeah. So the marinated barbecued beef that is something I eat maybe least every week or so. I try to make that myself. Well, it isn't spicy, but it has a strong soy sauce flavors. Chapce also has soy sauce flavors because it is a mixture of glass noodle with vegetables and meat strips marinated with soy sauce. For these kind of dishes, I would suggest fruity light reds, like valpolicella, because, the saltiness of the dish will accentuate the fruitiness of wine, and the acidity of wine will help cut through any remaining happiness of food from Nepal. And, you know, that, Korean fried chicken has now become a worldwide discharge, you know? Yes. Yes. We have, you know, various kinds of fried chickens, deep fried marinated with soy sauce, spicy chili sauce topped up with garlic or spring onions. Some of them even have, curry flavors. So for Korean fried chicken, you know, the Italian whites can be a safer option, but, if you want to experience something special, then I would recommend Kianti or Kianti classical. I think the flavors of the food and the wine pairs really well. Okay. Why does chianti particularly suit? Because the fried chicken also has some, you know, some spicy flavors like some, you know, peppers. And Yeah. Also, you know, some, very fresh fruits. And that goes very well with some, you know, the spices that we put, into the fried chicken dishes. Oh, I'm gonna have to try that one too. And also the chicken fat and the Sanjiu basic, you know, tannin, they go very well as well. Okay. And also the, pan fried dishes, you know, such as pajeon, well, Pajan goes very well with, aikalanga sparkling wines. Oh, yes. There was wonderful. We call them pancakes, but the the spring onion pancake or the mung bean pancake, the binti dot Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful food. I love. And, for bintecha, I enjoy pairing them with Barbera, and, sometimes, neville or two. Oh. Because, you know, yeah, because because the pan fried dishes, normally have milder flavor, and they are not spicy. Okay. So they fully support nebbiolo's delicacy to perform very well. And the oiliness of the food makes nebbiolo and barbera soft top. Okay. On the chojung, the dipping sauce. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's a bit spicy sweet, sweet and, sour spicy there. They are very good as well. Finally, I want to recommend to try, Korean desserts such as rice cakes or rice cookies to enjoy with Fin Santos. Oh. They are one. Oh my goodness. Yeah. Well, that's been such a I'm mostly it's welcoming. Yeah. Absolutely. And I know our listeners will be too. That's been such a good overview of, very detailed line suggestions. I know this is a subject. You spent a great deal of time thinking about and really working out in your mind blood pairs well. So It's really good to have your expertise because I don't think there's probably anybody else. It's spent so much time studying this, with such precise detail. So it's a really great overview for our Italian wine podcast listeners. Now, saying that I know you have a trip to Italy coming up very soon. Where will you be going and what are you most looking forward to about being back in Italy? You know, I'm coming to Florence to attend the Antepremetos County. Okay. But this, yeah, this is my third year to come to the event. And I really love Antepremet because, you know, I have the opportunity taste a wide variety of candy and candy classical and discover how diverse they are. Well, I could also feel the quality of candy classical is improving every year becoming more elegant. And last year, I presented a Kianti classical master class focused on UGAs to Korean wine professionals. It was a great opportunity to explain the differences in styles among UGA and the audience feedback was excellent. I'm I am already excited to taste the new Kianti, Kianti Glasgow, Montepucciano, and, other Tuscan wines that will be released this year. I will write an article about my experience and, share it with my students during lectures. Okay. Well, I'll look forward to that. And Of course, the UGAs are becoming much more important. The Unita, Geogrifica, this, the communal appalachians now that are being applied Yes. In the county classical. So it's, it's good to know that, in Korea, you're giving that nuance of terroir, in your, in your, education as well. You're not coming to Vin Italy this year then. No. I'm so sorry to hear that because I'll be there. And I would have loved to have seen you again. Now I have urged you to enroll in the Ven Italy International Academy to gain Italian wine Ambassador credentials because you were just the sort of ambassador that the program is really designed for taking your love of Italian wines to your home. So I hope it's something you'll perhaps I know you're very busy, but I hope it's something that you may be able to plan to do in the future. Definitely. I really wanna become an Italian wine ambassador, and I think this is an excellent opportunity for me to gain a deeper understanding of Italian wines. And, well, I already bought the books, Italian, wine unplugged, and San Diego, Lambrusco. And I'm reading them from time to time. But, you know, this year, I was planning to register, but I couldn't, because, you know, I don't have enough time to study. This is my first year as a general director, and I had to get used to the works at the wine academy. Well, I'm planning to participate next year, definitely. And I expect that, financially international academy will expand my knowledge of Italian wise and, well, which will be a great help in my articles and lectures. Great. Well, that is really good news to hear, and it'll be great to have you part of the global Vin Italy International Academy family. Yeah. Sang Me, it's been such a pleasure to catch up with you to hear your voice. For me to know that things are going so well for you. So thank you so much for being my guest today. I really appreciate it and enjoyed our our chat. Thank you for having me here. I really enjoyed, you know, talking and it made me want to try some of these Italian wine and Korean food pairings. So I'm going to be definitely doing that. So enjoy the rest of your evening. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Perhaps I will have some pagent on this evening for dinner. That's a great idea. I would love to join you. Yep. Okay. I hope we see each other soon. Yes. Thank you more for everything. Yeah. Okay. Bye bye. All the best. Hope you enjoy today's episode of wine, food, and travel. With me, Mark Millon, on Italian wine podcast. Please remember to like, share, and subscribe right here, or wherever you get your pods. Likewise, you can visit us at Italianwine podcast dot com. Until next time.