Lotte Department Store Hires Sommelier Kyung Min-seok... Launches 4 Types of Non-Alcoholic Wine

Sommelier Kyung Min-seok is examining wines at the Lotte Department Store main branch (Photo by Lotte Department Store).

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[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] Lotte Department Store announced on the 12th that it has recruited famous wine master sommelier Kyung Min-seok, formerly of a Michelin 2-star restaurant. From today, Lotte Department Store will showcase four types of non-alcoholic wines proposed by Sommelier Kyung Min-seok.

Lotte Department Store's wine sales in the first half of the year increased by 36% compared to the same period last year. In particular, there was a polarization phenomenon with increased demand for cost-effective wines priced between 20,000 to 30,000 KRW from the US and Italy, as well as customers seeking premium wines and old vintage high-priced wines costing tens to hundreds of thousands of KRW.

Along with the popularization of the wine market, customer preferences for wine are also diversifying. For beginner wine enthusiasts, choosing a good wine among the many wines distributed in the market is not easy. To quickly respond to such customer demand, Lotte Department Store officially hired a famous wine master in May to strengthen the expertise of its main store wine section.

Wine master sommelier Kyung Min-seok is an expert in the wine industry with various competition awards and was the head sommelier at the Michelin 2-star restaurant 'Jungsikdang'.

Lotte Department Store said, "Sommelier Kyung Min-seok's first official project is to propose new wines that fit recent trends," adding, "we have launched four types of non-alcoholic wines in line with the current trend of enjoying various wines that pair well with meals."

Two types of Spanish 'Noti Sparkling' (alcohol-free) wines are famous for being the first wines certified organic, vegan, and halal. The selling prices are 36,000 KRW for 'Noti Sparkling Chardonnay' (alcohol-free) and 37,000 KRW for 'Noti Sparkling Ros?' (alcohol-free). Two types of German 'Riesling' (alcohol-free) wines have a mineral base with fresh lime and citrus aromas, and the aftertaste after swallowing is dry and relatively long-lasting, which is impressive. 'Riesling' (alcohol-free) is priced at 33,000 KRW, and 'Sparkling Riesling' (alcohol-free) is 36,000 KRW.

The 'Lotte Department Store Dongtan Branch,' which will newly open on the 20th of next month, will introduce a complex experiential store where customers can directly taste and enjoy wine. Collaborating with the famous Italian restaurant 'Pasto' in Cheongdam-dong, introduced in this year's Michelin Guide, the store will offer a 'Wine Dining' space where customers can enjoy meals immediately with wines purchased in-store. An 'Untact Zone' will also be set up with a self-dispensing system where customers can taste and purchase wines curated seasonally by professional sommeliers.

Seung-young Kim, senior liquor buyer at Lotte Department Store, said, "Lotte Department Store plans to continue introducing various types of wines from around the world to customers through differentiated concept wine stores."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.