Taking in the mood among plum blossoms in full bloom
Before the plum blossoms of early spring, meat sizzling over a jeollibtugol, drinks passed around — a nanrohoe that, in today's sensibility, reenacts a Joseon-era spring outing: the scholars of that time who would trade a line of verse for every fallen petal.
Once the blossoms fall, the plums come in and the brewing season begins — and maesilju stands as proof that Korean liquor isn't only rice-based. Bohae Brewery is laying the groundwork so that maesilju, one of Korea's signature fruit wines, can help shape where the global liquor scene heads next. And so, at the Bohae orchard planted by the company's founder back in 1979, as the plum flowers came into bloom, experts from F&B and from every field beyond it sat down together. Glass in hand, everyone slowed down over a 25-year-aged maesilju, letting the depth of long-aged fruit reveal itself.
Since no plum-wine brand has yet taken the world stage, the discussion turned to what it would take for Korea to take that first step and move fast. Just as grape wine took centuries to mature into what it is now, telling the story of Korean liquor abroad is a process — one that needs to be sustained and developed over time.
On the day itself, chefs prepared grilled meats on site and mixed cocktails using maesilju, while everyone took in the plum blossoms right in front of them. The conversation went beyond the basics of taste to how food is served — the vessels, the setting, the music that plays as you eat — showing that a whole set of adjacent industries is bound up with dining. And each guest, from their own field, weighed in on how to widen the ground on which gastronomy stands.
