01. Five Reasons Wine Beats Soju

Wine flows into the Glencairn glass -- deep ruby radiance, bewitching color. Swirling the glass gently. A vibrant aroma flies into the nostrils. Thirst rushes in. Lifting the glass to the lips. Slowly tilting. Wine flows over the tongue. Sweetness and smoothness. Closing eyes, sketching an image. Until my mid-30s, I thought soju-beer mix was the best when it came to alcohol. Soju-beer mix (somaek) is a kind of cocktail made by mixing soju and beer in a certain ratio -- I really loved the sharp taste of soju harmonized with the bitter hops of beer, and above all the refreshing pop of beer bubbles when swallowing. And especially when drunk in a glass coated with thin ice. Five reasons why wine beats soju-beer mix: (1) Wine tells stories -- every bottle has a producer, a region, a vintage, a winemaker philosophy; soju-beer mix is just soju and beer mixed; (2) Wine suits food in different ways -- wine pairing is genuinely complex and rewarding; matching a Chablis with oysters or a Barolo with braised beef creates synergies that somaek cannot; (3) Wine slows you down -- the ritual of opening, pouring, observing, and savoring encourages mindfulness rather than rapid consumption; (4) Wine connects you to place and time -- drinking a wine from Burgundy or Napa Valley or Ribera del Duero connects you to those landscapes and cultures; (5) Wine ages -- you can invest in a bottle and watch it develop over years, which creates a relationship with wine impossible with other drinks. The series premise: this is the beginning of a wine series combining personal reflection with wine education -- using wine as a lens to examine life, relationships, and values.