There is little doubt that the popularity and appreciation of wine is booming in Asia. It could also be argued that the influence of all things Asian is spreading throughout the globe. And in the middle of this new paradigm is the glamorous, charming and intellectually astute figure of Jeannie Cho Lee, who, as the first Asian Master of Wine, has made it her mission to educate both the East and West on pairing the finest Asian cuisine with wine from the old and new worlds.
Originally from Korea, Jeannie moved to Hong Kong in 1994 where she started her publishing career with financial publications such as Far Eastern Economic Review, before moving on to lifestyle and wine publications such as Wine Spectator, Tatler and South China Morning Post.
“As editors began noticing my love of wine, they started asking me to do wine stories; and after a while, in 1997, I thought I should just do it full time. That's when I started writing about wine and food as well”, says Jeannie.
Being a Master of Wine is regarded in the wine industry as one of the highest standards of professional knowledge, and not surprisingly, it is not easy to acheive – the passing rate is less than 10 percent. But that didn’t put Jeannie off.
“It is a real test of character”, she says. “Because I was writing more and more about wine, I thought I had to get some serious background, and after doing the diploma it just seemed like a natural progression to do the MW. It seemed like the pinnacle of wine qualifications”.
Jeannie is currently Professor of Wine at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University where she is involved in creating a new Master’s degree program in International Wine Management. She is also a Wine Consultant for Galaxy Macau, as well as for Singapore Airlines. With such a résumé it is no wonder she was named the 26th most powerful person in wine by Decanter magazine in 2011.
With a Certificat de Cuisine from Cordon Bleu, her love for food and wine inspired her to found AsianPalate.com, a must-see website for any wine enthusiast, that celebrates the confluence of Asian food and wine.
Her latest venture is working with a new Asian crystal glass company, Lucaris.
“Lucaris is my new baby”, jokes Jeannie.
Talking about ‘Asian Palate’, the book that brought her and Lucaris together, she explains: “Lucaris and I share the same philosophy, a pride of being Asian, and not forgetting your heritage and your roots. And a lot of that to me comes from respecting and understanding what we eat”.
The author spent a month in each kitchen, working directly with top chefs to really understand the individual flavours of different Asian cuisines to find the best wine to compliment different dishes. ‘Asian Palate’ is a first of its kind, currently the only Asian food and wine pairing book available.
Speaking with Jeannie, it is easy to sense her deep passion for food, wine and her Asian heritage.
“Wine is often seen as a foreign product, but we now have wine made in Thailand, India and China, so it doesn’t have to be foreign anymore”, she notes.
The same concept applies to Lucaris crystal, as the idea of only European crystal being exclusively recognised internationally is now starting to take a back seat.
“Why shouldn’t we celebrate all things Asian?” challenges Jeannie.
Asian Crystal
LUCARIS is Asia’s first world-class luxury crystal wine ware, combining over 30 years of glass manufacturing experience. Established in 2009, with a proud Asian heritage, it has reached top international recognition through the fusion of Asian traditions and Western modernity. The glassmaking expertise of Toyo-Sasaki Glass of Japan, Ocean Glass of Thailand and the most advanced glass technology and design from Germany have been brought together, resulting in the creation of world class quality crystal glass. A new lead-free crystal glass composition, created exclusively for Lucaris, means exceptional clarity and brilliance, with extra strength and durability.
The brand has different glass series inspired by modern Asian urban lifestyles, each with their own individual characteristics such as Shanghai Soul, Hong Kong Hip, Tokyo Temptation and Bangkok Bliss.
Upcoming Lucaris seminar
Debra Meiburg MW
‘Grande Wines of Burgundy and Bordeaux’
Featuring Lucaris Shanghai Soul Grande Collection
Beijing, 18 / 10 / 2013