Lotte Department Store Selected as 'Excellent Wine Retailer' at Decanter Wine Awards

Selected as a Global Wine Retailer at the Decanter World Wine Awards
Hired 3 Sommeliers This Year to Strengthen Premium Wine
Recruited from Various Sommelier Competitions and Michelin Restaurants
Wine Promotion to Celebrate Selection... 40% Off Popular Wines Worldwide

(From left) Sommelier Choi Jun-seon, Sommelier Han Hee-su, and Sommelier Kyung Min-seok are introducing products at the Lotte Department Store Main Branch 'Wine Gallery' (Photo by Lotte Department Store).

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] Lotte Department Store announced on the 25th that it has been selected as the world's leading wine retailer for the first time in Korea at the 'Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA)' conducted by the global wine magazine 'Decanter'. To commemorate this, a promotion will be held.

Lotte Department Store stated, "The Decanter World Wine Awards, now in its 20th year, are judged by the world's top wine experts. It is internationally recognized as the most trusted due to its rigorous judging process," and added, "each year, along with awarding excellent wines, outstanding wine retailers worldwide are selected, and Lotte Department Store has been chosen as the first excellent wine retailer in Korea."

Lotte Department Store believes that diversifying strategies to strengthen premium wines, including recruiting professional sommeliers this year, led to this award. In May, Kyung Min-seok, the winner of the 4th 'Korea Sommelier of the Year,' joined Lotte Department Store for the first time in the industry. In September, Jun-sun Choi, head sommelier of a Michelin 3-star Korean restaurant, and Hee-soo Han, who holds the international sommelier certification A.SI Diploma Gold grade, also joined. Han also won second place at the 21st Korea Sommelier Competition in September.

To celebrate this, Lotte Department Store will hold the 'DWWA Promotion,' offering 15 popular wines from around the world at a 40% discount until the 15th of next month at 29 stores, including the main branch and Jamsil branch. Popular wines from various countries such as Australia, Chile, France, Italy, Spain, and Uruguay were directly selected by the sommeliers and the Lotte Department Store 'Wine & Liquor' team. December, when the year-end atmosphere begins in earnest, is described as a time to enjoy cost-effective wines comfortably with family or friends.

Representative products include France's 'Piper-Heidsieck,' Chile's 'Cabo de Hornos 2019,' Australia's 'Penfolds Bin 2 Shiraz Mataro 2019,' Spain's 'Cune Imperial Rioja Reserva 2016,' and Italy's 'Freixenet Italian Ros?.'

Meanwhile, the Lotte Department Store Wine & Liquor team plans to expand its business area by leveraging the professional experience of sommeliers in the future. They will offer services related to wine import, sales, and marketing promotions, including wine store management, wine curation, and wine classes.

Kim Seung-young, head of the Lotte Department Store Wine & Liquor team, said, "We have implemented various strategies to strengthen premium wines in line with the growth of the domestic wine market, which has led to good results," and added, "As customers' expectations for wine continue to rise, we will provide high-quality shopping services utilizing our expertise."

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