July 20, 2011
Jess{up} Chung :: Tasting Numero Uno
{Crap. This post is long. Just hang in there. There are good bits I promise.}
I’m not sure who stole whose thunder, but in the end it all worked out beautifully. I just threw my first official Jessup Ambassador tasting {yesss… further proof that my unemployed slacker status isn’t making me a complete waste of space} and it just happened to be alongside my big sister’s wedding rehearsal dinner.
This wasn’t how it was originally going to go down. I had always pictured my first tasting to be more intimate, more focused, and more about the wine {or more about me showing off my Ambassador chops}… but the rehearsal dinner was a unique opportunity and both Jessup and my sister were totally game.
First of all, let me clarify that my sister isn’t your ordinary bride. Case in point :: I called her Tuesday the week of her wedding and she still hadn’t decided on what to wear. I received a text message the morning of the wedding saying she didn’t have shoes yet. She didn’t care about anything regarding herself really… she was fixated on making sure all the out-of-towners would have a chance to meet each other, that her future in-laws would have a comfortable + memorable experience, and that the day-of wedding guests could eat, drink, and be merry in the most aesthetically pleasing space {with the best music, of course…}. She’s all about others, and less about stuff. This is why we love her.
the bride + groom
The rehearsal dinner was also atypical which is probably why incorporating a Jessup tasting was not only easy, but made a lot of sense. We had 30 friends + relatives from every corner of the world gather together at a local Korean restaurant. It was incredibly UN-esque :: seated at the table were folks from the east coast, west coast, and everything in between | Switzerland | Korea | India | London … Some of them were vino connoisseurs, others not so much, one was recently knighted in Italy as a sommelier, while more than one believed wine came in two forms – red or white. A lot of them had heard of Jessup through the family grapevine, some people thought my Ambassador gig was my full-time post-MBA career, and others had no idea what in the world was going on. It didn’t matter. Once the bottles were opened and I shared how Jessup had made it’s way into Christina + Arjuna’s {the Bride + Groom’s} weekend, everything worked together in perfect amazingly-delicious-vino-and-not-so-bridezilla harmony.
We talked about the wine. We drank the wine. New friends were made. Smiles were exchanged. We ate. We drank. We found our favorite pairings. We found our favorite pours. We laughed. We exchanged stories. We ate. And drank. A lot. 
Korean food isn’t your typical perfect pairing, but with the help of Grant at Jessup, I think I made some good calls. We have a lot of vegetarian family members and we have a lot of meat-obsessed family members. Or in other words :: 30 people = a lot of different palates to please. Also, Korean food doesn’t necessarily come out in courses or stages. It just keeps coming. Just when you think you’ve tried the final dish, another plate of short ribs or maybe a GInormous whole fish will come out. Koreans are all about eating until the belt buckle is adjusted. It’s totally amazing and totally exhausting. And then there’s the bottomless panch’an – the two-bite small plates that fill every empty corner of the table. As soon as one is emptied, a full plate replaces it which leads to two things :: 1) the inability to keep track of how much you’re eating until you’ve {oops!} reached the point of no return {belt buckle adjustment time} and 2) a TON of fun, palate-pleasing ways to pair Jessup wine.
We settled on featuring three Jessup wines at the table :: 2009 Chardonnay | 2009 Pinot Noir | 2008 Manny’s Blend
The Chard, with it’s full-body, hint of sweetness, and refreshing fruit notes was perfect on its own to start the party and paired nicely with one of the first plates that came out :: haemul pajeon, a Korean seafood pancake with tons of flavor and less intrusive spice/garlic that Korean food can be known for…
The Pinot Noir made its debut with the vegetarian dishes. The earthy, almost peppery spice flavors were a perfect match for japchae, a glass noodle stir-fry full of veggies, spice, and everything nice. Pinot noir + shitake mushrooms = thumbs up. There was also a sea bass stew that snuck its way onto our table that also complimented the Pinot {cue more belt buckle adjusting}.
And finally, Manny’s Blend – the Jessup cult favorite – did its bold, jammy, robust deliciousness justice with both the dak bulgogi {chicken Korean BBQ} and kalbi jim {beef short ribs}. Both of those meat dishes have a sweet, savory, I-can’t-stop-drooling-or-eating-this quality that only the Manny could hold up to.
So, if anyone thinks Korean food is an impossible wine tasting… I think we proved otherwise. Plus, kimchi is the ultimate palate-cleanser. You can’t taste anything before or after that wave of garlic invasion. 
And in terms of perfect pairings… Jessup + Christina proved to be a just that. No thunder stealing, no jealous bride or neglected vino damage. Just a great dinner full of joy | celebration | love.
Phew. That was a long one. Hi-five, you made it. If anything, it was worth it just for my current obsessions ::
Rocketshoes :: who is this guy? Why is he so much better at blogging than me?
Truffle tuna :: love at first bite. I know I just yapped about Korean food for 700 words, but I just had my first sashimi truffle experience and I can’t. stop. thinking. about. it.
Bon Iver’s latest :: he wrote a song called “Minnesota, WI” and since I now think I’m an official Midwesterner, I like to believe that this song was written for me. Despite the fact that I have NO clue what he is singing about. If you know, don’t tell me. Ignorance is bliss.
Xo.
Jess
