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| Hanging out on the Vineworks rooftop after sunset / Courtesy of Vineworks |
By Chantal Terblanche
Vineworks pairs wine with people. An interactive wine tasting and food community in the heart of western Seoul's Hapjeong-dong area, it provides events and casual drop-ins for wine enthusiasts and beginners alike
The physical location, occupying the top few floors ― including the roof ― of a building located in the alleys of western Seoul's Hapjeong-dong district, was founded by Ian Ashworth. Originally from England, he's been in Asia for 17 years, the bulk of which was spent in Korea, where he started off working as a teacher.
"In 2014, the concept of Vineworks was first formed," Ashworth told The Korea Times, "but it was in late 2016 that it became official."
Ashworth, a longtime lover of wine, had a growing awareness that wine in Korea was "reserved for the elite or elitist sections of society, deliberately overpriced and that generally wine tastings were a tedious affair."
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| Ian Ashworth of Vineworks / Courtesy of Vineworks |
Ashworth decided on the name "Vineworks" and the slogan, "Vineworks pairs wine with people." Vineworks strives to offer relaxed and interactive wine-tasting experiences catering to people from all over the world and Korea. Ashworth says, "As vines connect plants in and around the vineyard, so we try to reach out and entwine people, wine and food from around the world."
Ashworth grew up in a tasting environment, with his dad owning a craft beer brewing business, and there were always new tastes to explore. His background was a significant factor in making exploration the motivation.
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| Food at Vineworks / Courtesy of Vineworks |
The evolution of Vineworks has been a very organic process. They first started hosting events from their living room, with Ashworth laughing at the memory of "squeezing people onto far too tiny sofas.'' He explained that they relied on home cooking, smell quizzes and blind tastings as ways of getting people to interact and share their taste experiences and encouraging creative tasting notes.
Vineworks then moved to its very own first location in the neighbourhood of Sangsu-dong. At first, they didn't really have a plan. They just needed a location so they could start doing business officially. As Ashworth said, "Some of its dysfunctionality was its charm." In this location, they branched out and started doing more events. Ashworth has enjoyed the feeling of birthing a project and watching it grow and develop in different ways.
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| A meal on Vineworks' rooftop / Courtesy of Vineworks |
It was during the pandemic that they saw the opportunity to expand their premises and move to a space better suited for private rooms and a huge rooftop. After four years in Sangsu-dong, Vineworks moved almost literally across the street to its current, much bigger space in Hapjeong-dong in March last year.
The new area has private rooms and other nooks and crannies for people to relax in. It also has its own rooftop, perfect for sundowners or Saturday barbecues. Vineworks employees didn't learn wine through conventional wine tastings; they learned by sitting around with friends or family, eating home-cooked food and exploring good wines in a casual setting. Ashworth has always strived for Vineworks to keep its casual atmosphere and sense of living room coziness. For Ashworth, the biggest compliment he can receive is when people tell him, "this feels like home."
Vineworks has done many kinds of events over the years, but the most popular by far is the "Grapes of Wrath" Saturday wine fights. These events pitch France against other wine-producing countries in a three-round blind tasting ― same grapes, same price ― and there are plenty of surprises.
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| Food and iwne pairing at Vineworks / Courtesy of Vineworks |
Ashworth knows that the wine world is diverse and full of exciting things to try, so guests are welcomed to challenge stereotypes and try things for themselves. All this is tied in with summer barbecues and food styles from the wine regions for holistic evenings of Dionysian indulgence.
Vineworks also does home catering, as well as private table tastings in the restaurant, should anyone feel like having a meal with family, friends, private groups or parties. The tasting room, kitchen and rooftop are also available to be rented for personal use.
In January, Vineworks will be restarting its wine courses again, every Saturday afternoon or selected weekday evenings, including explorations for wine nerds too.
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| Sharing drinks on Vineworks' rooftop / Courtesy of Vineworks |
Visit vineworkskorea.com or fb.com/vineworkskorea for more information, or follow Vineworks on Instagram @vineworkskorea or send an email or KakaoTalk message to drinkwine@vineworkskorea.com to get in touch.
Chantal Terblanche, from South Africa, lives here with her dog, Samsung. She runs the blog ClumsyinKorea.com and the Korea Events group on Facebook. She also runs the Vineworks Book and Wine Club. The next book club meeting will be on Jan. 30, and the book will be "Blood Sisters" by Barbara and Stephanie Keating.
