Lotte Department Store to Host Wine Contest 'The Blind 2026'

To Be Held on June 5 at Signiel Seoul Grand Ballroom
Over 20,000 Bottles of Winning Wines Sold from Previous Contests

Lotte Department Store announced on May 30 that it will host the wine blind tasting contest 'The V:lind (The Blind) 2026' at the Grand Ballroom on the 76th floor of Signiel Seoul in Jamsil on June 5.

This year marks the third edition of 'The Blind,' a wine blind tasting contest Lotte Department Store first introduced, inspired by the 'Judgment of Paris' in 1976.

Notably, the winning wine of each 'The Blind' contest has been sold exclusively by Lotte Department Store, consistently selling out nationwide. The previous winners, including Bonterra (Red) and Brown Brothers (White) from the first contest, Sons of Eden Romulus (Red), River Terrace Sauvignon Blanc (White), and Cult Cabernet Sauvignon (Red) from the second contest, have all achieved sold-out status following their official release, with cumulative sales reaching 20,000 bottles to date.

Lotte Department Store 3rd The Blind. Lotte Department Store

'The Blind 2026' will feature both the final contest and a tasting event held simultaneously at the Grand Ballroom of Signiel Seoul, a five-star hotel in Korea. In fact, all tickets for the contest were sold out within two days of opening sales.

The judging panel is comprised of top sommeliers, Michelin-star chefs, and renowned wine celebrities, ensuring both professional expertise and broad public appeal. Four Lotte Department Store professional sommeliers—Han Heesu, Kyung Minseok, Kim Minjae, and Choi Junsun—who have dominated the Asia Best Sommelier Competition and the national team selection contests, will lead the expert judging. In addition, public judges will include Michelin one-star restaurant 'Soil' owner-chefs Kim Heeun and Yoon Daehyun, singer Hanhae, and F&B planner Han Chunghee.

The contest will feature participation from Korea's eight leading wine importers: Keumyang, Ayung, Lotte, Nara Cellar, Kooksoondang, Sindong Wine, Enoteca, and Shinsegae L&B. These companies submitted a total of 50 flagship wines, and after the first preliminary round, 16 wines—8 white and 8 red—advanced to the finals. In the final blind tasting on June 5, one white and one red wine will be selected as the winners. Each will be imported in a quantity of 6,000 bottles and launched in exclusive Lotte Department Store packages in September.

Kim Seung-young, Head of Wine & Spirits at Lotte Department Store, said, "'The Blind' is Lotte Department Store's flagship event, renowned for selling out its winning wines every year. This year, we are hosting it at Signiel Seoul on an unprecedented scale," adding, "We will continue to lead trends in both the domestic and international wine markets and strengthen Lotte Department Store's unique competitiveness by offering differentiated exclusive content."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.