Apr 20, 2012

There are thousands of good wines in Korea. Due to the way the market is structured you won’t find many of these wines on sale in department stores. If you’re prepared to walk another 500m from a subway station to find an independent wine shop there are some lovely wines available and plenty of options perfect for a spring picnic or barbeque. 2010 Badenhorst...

Aug 21, 2010

Riesling is a summer favorite. Plenty of refeshing acidity, citrus fruit and low alcohol. Schloss Johnissberg’s Riesling Kabinett is medium dry with juicy pineapple and clean stonefruit. Slightly perfumed nose with some wild flowers and a touch of minerality. Nectarine and hallabong (한라봉) finish. Definitely juicy. Enough acidity to keep it all...

Apr 18, 2010

This is a classic match of acidity and fried fast food, Korean style. Me and Joe McPherson, Dining Editor of Ten Magazine and Editor of ZenKimchi, wanted some working class Korean food and wine. Jeon is a variety of fried pancakes with vegetables, mussels, squid, crab sticks and zucchini fried in flour batter.  Leeks, onions and chillis add spice and spring...

Jan 31, 2010

I’d had this wine once before at a party at the end of a long night when a group of us managed to drink fifteen bottles. At the time it was alright: fun, sweet and refreshing in the August heat. I now had another bottle received for services rendered and was a little apprehensive. But I needed something refreshing after a hard day of shopping so here we...

Dec 6, 2009

O-jinga Sundae (오징어 순대) is one of my favorite Korean foods. O-jinga Sundae is a whole squid stuffed with rice and grains, spring onions, diced carrots, leeks and squid ink. It’s hearty and healthy. It’s best fresh from Daepo Harbor near Sokcho in Gangwon-do. This small harbor is the squid capital of Korea. However, when I don’t have...

Oct 8, 2009

Chuseok is a Korean lunar festival often compared to American thanksgiving. I find it more similar to Christmas. People drive for up to 15 hours to their hometown to visit family and have enormous amounts of fantastic home cooking, wonderful traditional foods and also receive gifts and money from family and employers. Chuseok is also a great time to buy wine. A...