Aug 12, 2012

There are plenty of great red wines that work well with meat on the barbecue. Here are five of my favorites this summer. 2008 Dinastia Vivianco Crianza (Rioja, Spain) Fresh vibrant bouquet of violets, plums, vanilla cream, subtle cinnamon and and plump wild raspberries. Broad soft tannins and velvety texture with sweet fruit and good balance. Modern elegance...

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...

May 27, 2011

On April 26-29th the Korean wine and food trade descended on KINTEX for networking, tasting, nibbling and negotiating. It’s by far the biggest F&B event of the year with over 1000 exhibitors from 44 countries and 45,000 attendees, according to the organizers. I spent most of my time in the International section sampling wine and food from Spain,...

Dec 22, 2010

It’s Christmas time in South Korea. That means excessive consumerism, nightclub parties and last minute scrambling to secure a date for Christmas Day. Christmas in Korea is not so much about family for many people but tends to be more focused on romance. This year Christmas falls on a Saturday so restaurants and hotels will be packed with those keen to...

Apr 5, 2010

Spanish music, flamenco and wine in the suburbs of Seoul? No, it’s not a kimchi western but a bar called Bodega in Jamsil. And the wines are shocking—shockingly cheap! I enjoyed a great sparkling brut for W55,000 and a lovely albariño blend for W80,000 (Spanish white wine). They also have a wide selection of tapas, seafood and cold cuts, which are also...

Mar 1, 2010

Tasting Notes: Sight: Cherry red colour. Flecks of purple. Clean aspect and appears glyceric. Bouquet:  Smooth compote of dark fruit.  Dark wood and old cedar furniture aromas. Plenty of milky vanilla richness. Intense and inviting. Palate: Smooth entry opening to lush fruit and ripe tannins. Fruit tends to towards syrupy after 30min. Marshmellow richness...