Jeannie Cho Lee

Jeannie Cho Lee
Jeannie Cho Lee, First Asian Master of Wine
Occupation	Wine critic, journalist, educator and consultant
Notable works	Asian Palate
Spouse	Joseph Lee
Website
http://www.asianpalate.com

Regarded as one of Asia’s preeminent authorities on wine , Jeannie Cho Lee, MW is a wine critic, journalist, educator, and consultant. Lee is the first Asian obtaining the title of Master of Wine. Lee is a regular contributor to various wine publications including Wine Spectator, Decanter, The World of Fine Wine, Wine and Dine, Wine Business International and La Revue du Vin de France.

Early Life and Education

Jeannie Cho Lee was born in South Korea and immigrated to the United States when she was 7. Jeannie’s interest in wine began at Oxford University where she spent her junior year before returning to Smith College where she graduated with a dual degree in Government and Sociology. Jeannie then went on to obtain a Master’s degree in Public Policy & International Relations from Harvard University at 23. Always passionate about food and wine -- just after university, she obtained a Certificat de Cuisine from Cordon Bleu Paris and the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Diploma from the UK. She has lived in numerous cities around the world including New York, Boston, London and Kuala Lumpur. Hong Kong has been her permanent home since early 1994.

Journalist career: 1994 – now

Since 1994, Jeannie has been based in Hong Kong initially leading a career in business journalism in Asia, writing for publications such as Asia Inc, Far Eastern Economic Review and The Asset where she currently remains as Contributing Editor. Since then she has been travelling as an international wine judge, speaker, journalist and educator, taking her to Europe and North America on a regular basis. Jeannie contributes regularly to renowned wine magazines such as Decanter, Wine Spectator and Revue du Vin and also pens several wine columns which appear weekly in the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) and in China Business News (China), and monthly in Decanter Taiwan and Noblesse Korea. She also writes about food in publications such as Australian Gourmet Traveller and Tatler’s Best Restaurants guide books.

2008: First Asian Master of Wine

Jeannie Cho Lee was the first Asian to be awarded the Master of Wine (MW) title in 2008 out of 75 women from an elite group of 289 Masters of Wine since 1955. Jeannie has kept a food and wine journal for nearly twenty years and has amassed over 20,000 fine wine reviews and ratings.

Awards & Recognitions

In 2009, Jeannie was awarded the Vinitaly International Award for her contributions to the wine industry.

Wine Educator and Speaker

Jeannie’s commitment to education led her to co-found The Fine Wine School in Hong Kong with Berry Bros & Rudd. Jeannie is a Certified Educator from UK’s Wine & Spirits Education Trust and a Certified Wine Educator (CWE) from the US Society of Wine Educators. She lectures at various Institute of Masters of Wine seminars, speaks at international wine fairs such as Vinexpo and Vinitaly. To keep up-to-date on wine industry movements and trends, Jeannie travels to classic wine growing areas throughout the year. Jeannie regularly participates in tasting Bordeaux en primeurs.

Wine Consultant

Jeannie consults and reports on market trends and is currently a Singapore Airline’s Wine Consultant, involved in selecting the wines served on board along with Steven Spurrier and Michael Hill Smith MW. With her vast network of contacts in the wine industry, Jeannie’s advice has been sought by multinationals, wine merchants as well as the hospitality industry as a speaker and as a consultant. Jeannie has consulted for companies such as Watson’s Wine Cellar, Deutsche Bank, Shangri-la hotels and Ficofi.

Wine Judging

Jeannie judges in international wine competitions such as the Decanter World Wine Awards (London), International Wine Challenge (London), Mundus Vini (Germany) and the Royal Adelaide Wine Show.

Her book: Asian Palate

In November 2009, Jeannie published her first book, Asian Palate, to an enthusiastic audience. The book was short-listed for the Andre Simon award in the UK and won the Gourmand Award for Best Food & Wine Pairing Book in the World. The 220-page coffee table book highlights the increasingly prominent role of wine in the dining experiences across ten major cities in Asia and recommends wines to pair with hundreds of local Asian dishes. Jeannie is currently working on her second book, Mastering Wine for the Asian Palate, which is scheduled to be published end of 2010.

AsianPalate.com

Jeannie is Founder of AsianPalate.com , a website that celebrates authentic Asian cuisine and wine together. The site contains thousands of wine ratings and reviews by Jeannie as well as a comprehensive Asian food and wine pairing guide. AsianPalate.com aims to lead intelligent and insightful discussions about the world of wine as well as the quickly evolving Asian food and wine scene.

Other Public Engagements

In August 2010, Jeannie was chosen to be the face behind Estee Lauder’s newly launched Advanced Night Repair eye serum in an ad campaign called: “No. 1 Eye Repair in the Eyes of No. 1” alongside Guo Jing-jing, the multiple gold medal winning diving queen, and Yuan Yuan Tan, top principal dancer for the San Francisco Ballet.

Family and personal life

Jeannie is married and has four children. When not immersed in wine, Jeannie enjoys cooking, playing golf and writing fiction. Jeannie has four daughters, aged 13, 11 and twin eight-year-olds.