G-20 Biz Summit Events to Feature World-class Wines

A dream lineup of wines for the reception and a wine selection conveying the importance of negotiations as the main course.

What would the scene at a dinner reception for leading global CEOs look like? The answer will come at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Hotel in eastern Seoul on the evening of Nov. 10.

Some 120 CEOs to attend the G-20 business summit will share wines with a diversity of meanings.

An overview of the event as announced by the summit organizing committee Tuesday suggested that rooms for subcommittee meetings will be decorated in distinctive colors according to the four themes.

The trade and investment subcommittee will be decorated in blue to symbolize hope; the financial committee in beige to represent cleanness; the green growth subcommittee in green to indicate peace; and the corporate social responsibility subcommittee in orange to hint at warmness and balance.

Seven specialists on food, wine and culture are taking extra care to prepare for the reception and dinner next week to meet the high expectations of CEOs. Wine expert Kim Ki-jae will supervise overall planning, and star chef Seo Seung-ho and 2006 national sommelier of the year Jeon Hyeon-mo will jointly organize the dinner reception.

First to be served will be the sparkling wine Cheonjiin (heaven, earth and man) Cremant, which was brewed by a Korean woman and a Japanese man who went to Bourgogne, France, to brew quality wines. They won the bronze medal at this year’s Paris wine contest.

This wine was also featured in the famous comic book, “God`s Waterdrop.” Through the wine, the organizing committee sought to convey the message, “The inaugural business summit this year is starting small but dreaming big.”

The dinner menu will be a fusion course of Korean food comprising appetizer, fish, meat, dessert, and tea and coffee. The fish will be served with Honig Sauvignon Blanc (2000), an American white wine and the meat will come with Gaja Ca Marcanda Magari, an Italian red wine.

Honig Sauvignon Blanc means a “long cherished dream” as the winery named it after the grandfather while Gaja Ca Marcanda Magari symbolizes “ceaseless negotiations.” After brewing the wine in Italy’s Gaja region, the brewers conducted 19 rounds of negotiations to introduce it to other regions.

Noble One, an Australian wine to be served with dessert, symbolizes generous treatment as evidenced by its use at the royal wedding of a Swedish princess.

The 120 CEOs to attend business summit include 95 from G-20 member nations and 25 from non-member countries. By industry, most participants are from the financial (29) and energy (26) sectors. Twenty-two CEOs from global companies who lead their respective fields will also attend.

Apart from the official conferences, the CEOs are also seeking one-on-one business meetings, with 21 companies arranging 72 business meetings as of Monday. Since many companies want to hold meetings in secret, leading enterprises are expected to contact each other behind the scenes.

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