Ole! A taste of Spanish wines in Seoul
This year means a lot for Spanish wine producers, the largest exporters to Korea, their third-biggest Asian consumer.
Marking the 10th year of its kind, the Spanish Embassy hosted another fruitful wine tasting under the theme “Spanish Wine Challenge” with 25 selected wineries.
This time the event introduced some less-known regions — Calatayud in the southwestern corner of Zaragoza province and the country’s largest city Valencia — at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul on Nov. 24.
“In 2005, Spain exported to Korea roughly 2 million of liters accounting for $2.35 million,” Spanish Embassy commercial counselor Garcia Rebollar told The Korea Times.
“In 2015, imports of wine from Spain to Korea were 8.5 million of liters worth almost $15 million.
“That means that in barely 10 years the exports have grown four times in terms of volume and more than six times in terms of value. We definitely would call it a success, but there is still a lot to do.” In 2000, the amount was less than 1 million litters.
Seoul, the third-largest market in Asia for Spanish wines, had a “well-established medium class with high purchasing power,” and was a trendsetter among Asian nations, Rebollar said, adding that the future looked bright.
“Right now, even if there is still some space for growing, the compe- tition is getting more and more tough, while consumers demand more types of wines with a good quality value,” he said.
“Considering this situation, Spanish wines can perfectly match these new demands, so in the foreseeable future we expect to gain more market share than other competitors, as we have been doing for the past five years.”
Despite its long tradition of wine making, there was a perception that Spanish wines were of lower quality than those of other European countries, because Spanish wines were generally more affordable.
“It is true that, on average, that Spanish wines are more affordable than French wine, but people always forget that labor is cheaper in Spain than in France or Italy and that weather conditions are better in our country.
“So of course it is easier to produce wine in Spain and the price is not always representative of quality. Nowadays, if you know something about wines, you know that Spanish wines can be as superb as the French or the Italian ones.”
The embassy has organized several cultural events this year introducing food and fashion that make up a significant part of its economy, and these events will continue next year.
Highlights will be “Fashion From Spain” (February and June), “Tapas Day” (May), “Design From Spain” (November) and “Wines from Spain” (November).
“Relations between Korea and Spain are better than ever,” Rebollar said. “In 2015, more than 300,000 Korean citizens visited our country and the commercial flows have grown steadily for the past 10 years, so more and more Koreans are getting acquainted with Spanish products and wine.
“We feel very proud to be have been hosting this event for 10 years, because it is a sign of maturity and that is it received well.”