Cover Dom Pérignon unveiled new champagne vintages at Seoul’s Oil Tank Culture Park across a two-day event
Dom Pérignon unveiled new champagne vintages at Seoul’s Oil Tank Culture Park across a two-day event
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The champagne house launched three new expressions through an immersive experience complete with pairing dinners
On April 14 and 15, Dom Pérignon unveiled three vintages at an immersive experience held in Seoul’s Oil Tank Culture Park. Set against a soothing score, graceful ballet performances, and thoughtful menus curated by Korea’s top chefs, chef de cave Vincent Chaperon presented the collection: Dom Pérignon Vintage 2017, Vintage 2008 Plénitude 2 and Rosé Vintage 2010. Each marks a defining chapter in the house’s creation process over the past two decades, bearing distinctive notes shaped by shifting climate, soil and the house’s evolving relationship with viticulture.
To accompany the reveal, chefs Kang Mingoo of Mingles and Eom Taejun of Solbam curated a dining experience that reflected Dom Pérignon’s philosophies of harmony and assemblage, where complexity is created from simple ingredients.
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Above The three new vintages: Dom Pérignon Vintage 2017, Vintage 2008 Plénitude 2 and Rosé Vintage 2010
The three new vintages: Dom Pérignon Vintage 2017, Vintage 2008 Plénitude 2 and Rosé Vintage 2010
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“Harmony is never completely achieved. For me, it’s more than a state of art; it’s a goal, a horizon, a dynamic and a quest,” Chaperon explained during an in-depth discussion of the creation of the Vintage 2017, the result of a particularly challenging year in champagne-making due to acetic acid bacteria contamination—the presence of which can convert alcohol into vinegar when oxidised, causing spoilage, off-flavours and souring of the wine—brought on by unpredictable climate conditions in the region. “We have the biggest vineyard in Champagne—900 hectares of Grand Cru and Premier Cru, so we have a diversity. This diversity is key in situations like 2017, because contamination was not everywhere. The idea was to define a picking strategy to save what we could.”
Above Left to right: Eom Taejun of Solbam, Vincent Chaperon and Kang Mingoo of Mingles
Left to right: Eom Taejun of Solbam, Vincent Chaperon and Kang Mingoo of Mingles
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Chaperon turned to the house’s founding principles for inspiration, particularly the concepts of harmony and assemblage that guided Dom Pierre Pérignon, the 17th-century Benedictine monk who innovated the production and quality of wine from Champagne after whom the brand is named. “Assemblage is the elevation of each plot through the union, a collective movement that reflected the art of living of the monks—which is collective elevation. It’s not just expressing the individuality of a vineyard or the singularity of a plot. It’s using the personality of different places for one, unified aesthetic direction. Bordeaux is a château, Burgundy is a single plot, Champagne is the assemblage; it’s the place at the service of a creative project.”
Above Seoul’s Oil Tank Culture Park set the stage for the unveiling of the new vintages
Seoul’s Oil Tank Culture Park set the stage for the unveiling of the new vintages
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The concept of harmony ran through the entirety of the April event, starting with the space. Revitalised from an industrial storage site, Seoul’s Oil Tank Culture Park is a complex where nature, architecture and history coexist. The evenings began with an immersive solo tasting that spotlit the three new vintages. Guests were guided by soothing music played through wireless headsets as they savoured each glass, savouring individual profiles in sync with the scores.
Above Dishes presented at the unveiling event
Above A seafood-led dish featured on the dinner menu by Kang and Eom
Dishes presented at the unveiling event
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On April 15, Kang and Eom presented a series of pairing dishes designed to complement the structure and texture of the Vintage 2017. Each chef interpreted the menu through their own culinary approach, applying the concept of assemblage to each dish.
Kang spoke to the similarities between this winemaking principle and the essence of hansik, or Korean cuisine. “Vincent [Chaperon] really places a lot of emphasis on the assemblage. The blend itself, at first glance, seems very simple. But within the simplicity, you put in time and care to create something very complex and very new. I believe this basic philosophy of Dom Pérignon is very similar to the philosophy of traditional hansik.
“In hansik, the notion of jang [the umbrella term for soy bean-based sauces used in Korean cuisine] is very important. It's made with really simple ingredients: salt, water and beans. Yet, with these simple ingredients, you create something very complex; then you pair that with seasonal ingredients to really bring out its essence”
Above A main dish featured on the dinner by Kang and Eom
Above Each plate is curated to pair with one of the three new vintages
A main dish featured on the dinner by Kang and Eom
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As well as food and music, the launch was accompanied by a performance by the Korean National Ballet. Harmony was depicted through the elegance of the Adagio pas de deux from the first act of Swan Lake performed by principal dancers such as Park Seul-gi and Park Jong-seok.
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Above Guests toasting with glasses of the new vintages
Above A glimpse of the immersive solo tasting experience that took place
Guests toasting with glasses of the new vintages
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The experience in Seoul embodied Dom Pérignon’s enduring search for unity within diversity. For Chaperon, the principle of assemblage extends beyond the cellar. The house is dedicated to navigating the fragile balance between nature and human craft inherent in winemaking by embracing the complexity of the soil and the unpredictability of the climate. The ultimate object is a bottle that lingers long after the final glass is savoured.
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Formerly a lifestyle editor, Celia is now an Associate Dining Editor at Tatler Hong Kong, where she covers local dining stories with a strong sense of narrative and cultural context. She focuses on the people, places and moments shaping the city’s food scene, bringing a storytelling-led approach to restaurant features, chef profiles and on-the-ground coverage.
