food trip in korea

The medley of rose wine and spicy red chili paste
Pair a glass of wine with Braised Half-dried Pollack and Spicy Braised Chicken!

Red chili paste is the iconic sauce of Korea. It is a spicy sauce widely used in Korean dishes that adds sweetness to braised or stew dishes. It also creates a perfect synergy with wine. Light-bodied rose wines are the perfect match for braised or stew dishes. The rich fruit aroma of rose wine enhances the sweetness of red chili paste, adding special umami flavor to dishes. Rose wine, a kind of hybrid wine, is a fail-safe choice for both meat and fish dishes.

Braised Half-dried Pollack, the ultimate and pleasantly chewy texture

Half-dried pollack refers to pollack that has its guts removed and half-dried, hanging. It is usually braised with red chili paste. Half-dried pollack’s flesh turns solid, and its proteins turn into amino acids in its drying process, making it a much tastier fish with condensed flavors.
Braised half-dried pollack is an all-time favorite side dish and drinking snack. Putting parboiled bean sprouts and dried seaweed in like they do in Sokcho adds a unique flavor to it. As a drinking snack, it can be a bit overwhelming dish because of its spicy and salty sauce. But pairing it with a glass of rose wine will neutralize its strong flavors and enhance sweetness of the dish.

Spicy Braised Chicken will boost your stamina year-round!

Chicken boasts amazing price efficiency on the tables of Korea. It can be cooked in many ways, such as fry, grill, braise, steam, stew, and more. It is a perfect ingredient for elderlies and children alike, as it is highly digestive.
Large pieces of potatoes, onions, carrots, etc. go into the spicy braised chicken as ingredients. It can be made faster than the summer stamina boost dish, ginseng chicken soup, so it is a perfect menu to add nutritional boosts to your family’s diet that can be had year-round. Have a big bite of a large piece of sweet and spicy braised chicken, and you will feel your appetite coming back to you. Sip a glass of rose wine with this dish to wash down the heavy taste of red chili paste and leave a clean aftertaste.

It is a common practice in Korea to drink shots of soju with food marinated in spicy red chili paste, but if you are still new to the strong alcoholic taste and bitterness of soju, try a glass of rose wine with spicy Korean food.

Enjoy light kimchi dishes with sparkling wines!

Kimchi is the single most well-known Korean food. Kimchi is a fermented food made with salted cabbage or radish marinated with red chili pepper powder, garlic, fish sauce, etc. The first impression of kimchi will be its spiciness that comes from its ingredients, red chili pepper powder, green onion, and garlic.
If you are not used to this spiciness, you can drink a glass of sparkling wine to neutralize this taste. The zingy acidity of fermented kimchi goes quite well with the fruity flavors of sparkling wine. Enjoy the fizziness in your mouth and you will soon forget the hot spiciness on the tip of your tongue. Before you know it, you’ll go for more kimchi dishes.

Braised Kimchi made with aged kimchi

Ferment kimchi at low temperature for a long period of time and you will create aged kimchi that gives off incredibly deep flavors. This “aged” kimchi is a great ingredient for soupy or stir-fried dishes, thanks to its deep umami flavor created by the microbes in the fermentation process.
Use pork front leg, shoulder, or back ribs to make braised kimchi and you will get incredibly flavorful and tasty results thanks to the pork fat melted in the soup. Have a glass of sparkling wine with it, and the heavy flavors of braised kimchi will be neutralized with the refreshing taste of sparkling wine for an amazing harmony on your pallet.

Kimchi Pancake for a rainy day

There are countless Korean dishes that can be made with kimchi. One of them is kimchi pancake, a fry-style pancake made with flour batter with sliced kimchi pieces. Think of it as a Korean-style pizza. Kimchi pancakes are often garnished with seafood such as squid and shrimp.
Koreans crave kimchi pancake on rainy days. Pair a refreshing glass of sparkling wine with a slice of kimchi pancake to cut the greasiness of it, and there you have, a match made in heaven.

Bean Curd with Stir-fried Kimchi, the classic drinking snack

Bean curd with stir-fried kimchi is one of the most versatile drinking snacks that can be paired with any drink. Bean curd with stir-fried kimchi is, literally, “bean curd and stir-fried kimchi” served together. Bean curd will be warm, and kimchi will be stir-fried in sesame or perilla oil. Have a big bite of a warm piece of bean curd with glossy fried kimchi. The zingy kimchi will provoke your appetite and bean curd fills your belly.
Like other kimchi dishes introduced before, try pairing sparkling wine with bean curd with stir-fried kimchi. It is the chosen drinking snack for you if you wish to create a great vibe while getting some quality nutrients.

Taste the ocean on a table,
oyster and scallops in winter!

Open the lid and find fresh and meaty oysters and scallops under the thick steam. Pair it with a cool glass of white wine, and you will need no other dishes. White wine is the best friend of seafood dishes as it enhances the natural flavors of seafood.

Tongyeong, the place for oysters

Oysters are often called milk from the sea thanks to their rich nutritional contents. In Korea, oysters are in season from November to January when the days are cold. Visit Tongyeong, a city on the southern coast of Korea, the major region of oyster production, and taste fresh oysters at reasonable prices.
굴Oyster salad is a way to have raw oysters. Season fresh, raw oysters with onions, chili peppers, chives, red chili pepper powder, and fish sauce. If you’re not so sure about having raw oysters, try Korean pan-fried battered oysters. Coat these fresh, large, and meaty oysters with egg yolks, garnish them with red and green chili peppers and fan-fry them to complete soft and chewy oyster pancakes. Pair white wine with it, and there you have it, no words needed.

Scallops that please your pallet and eyes

Scallops are in season during winter and the best way to cook them is to steam them. Add chili pepper and garlic to give spicy flavors to clean scallops, drizzle white wine on it, and steam it quickly. Pair it with a glass of white wine to enhance the flavors of the fresh-steamed scallops. The cheese-topped grilled scallop is also a popular drinking snack.

Scallops are rich in essential amino acids, proteins, and minerals. They are good for diet, thanks to their low calories and cholesterol. Visit Korea in winter when oysters and scallops are in season and enjoy these amazing dishes with white wine at reasonable prices.

Break away from the box of red wine with steak!
Enhance the flavors of Korean cuisines! Enjoy wine better!

Braised Galbi, the ultimate meaty Korean cuisine

Braised Galbi is a popular dish for both Koreans and foreign visitors. It is made with soy sauce and is a popular choice for those who cannot take spicy food. Some of the key garnishes on braised galbi are chestnuts and jujube. They add yellow and red colors for your eyes and nutrients to boost your stamina.

Braise beef galbi in marinade and cook them until they are soft and fall off the bones to feel the melt-on-your-tongue softness of beef with sweet and savory flavor. Pair a wine that has a strong body and you have a perfect meal. The deep, savory flavors of braised galbi and the aromatic oak barrel flavors of red wine will create a marvelous match of flavors.

LLA Galbi, a cousin from Los Angeles, United States

LA galbi, or grilled marinated galbi, is another classic Korean beef galbi dish. There are many stories as to why Korean food has LA, an American local name, but the most plausible one is that the first generation of Korean immigrants in Los Angeles, United States, marinated “flanken” beef ribs in soy sauce and grilled them. It is said that this dish has been imported back to Korea and got the name LA galbi.

LA galbi became a popular meat dish that grace feasts in Lunar New Year’s Day, Chuseok, and other Korean traditional holidays thanks to its easy preparation methods. Marinade beef ribs in soy sauce with ground pear and onion overnight. Then grill the marinated meat and serve hot. Add a sip of red wine to this amazing dish to wash the greasiness of beef ribs and enhance its flavors.

Pick your choice, braise or grill?

Braised galbi and LA galbi both use the same part of beef, but their characteristics are starkly different, thanks to their recipes. Braise or grill? It’s your choice, but take my words for it—whichever you choose, you will be enjoying great dishes that pair well with red wine.

Korean wines, full of charm and character

Wine, the friend of human history

Wine is a fermented liquor made of fresh grapes or grape juice. Since its invention, this basic element of western culinary culture has been a staple in events and festivals, as well as religious ceremonies. Wine has a long history that goes back to the ancient relics of the West. Polyphenol, a component found in wine, acts as an antioxidant and prevents cardiac diseases, arteriosclerosis, and symptoms of aging.

Wine from the West roots in Korea

The definition of wine in Korea is a liquor made from fruits, such as grapes, apples, persimmons, strawberries, hardy kiwi, Korean wild grapes, peaches, apricots, including a wider variety of fruits than in the West where only alcoholic beverage made from grapes is considered wine. Korean wine production began in the 1970s in earnest, led by corporations, experienced a brief slump, and came back on track after the 2000s as an industry led by farm-style wineries. They may be smaller than the corporation producers, but the variety of wines made from diverse ingredients increased and their quality and popularity are growing every year.

The value of Korean wine behind prejudice

As its origin is in the West, the popularity of Korean wines was low in the past. However, nowadays, you can easily find Korean wines in five-star hotels and fine dining restaurants. The undervalued Korean wines gained good reviews from many prestigious wine shows in Korea and overseas, thanks to the efforts of Korean wine manufacturers and the cooperation of institutions, schools, sommeliers, and restaurants. Now, they are recognized for their values by being selected as the celebratory or toast drink at national events.

Korean wines with unique stories of local fruits

These curious Korean wines have been developing with the unique stories of local fruits. “Kraté Semi-sweet Wine” made from Korean wild grapes harvested in Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province is a vintage organic wine and is a perfect choice to experience high-quality Korean red wine. It has an excellent balance of sweetness and acidity that does not emphasize the sweetness but offers deep flavors of Korean wild grapes and the harmonious aroma of the aged oak barrel. “Yeopo’s Dream White Wine” from Yeongdong, Chungcheongbuk-do Province offers the epitome of Korean white wine’s characteristic with the sweetness and smooth acidity of Alexandrian grapes. “OmyRose Kyol” from Mungyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province is the first Korean sparkling wine made with the traditional champagne production process. Its characteristic is the sweet and sour flavor and the following acidity and aromatic scent of omija fruit. “Chusa Rose Wine” from Yesan, Chungcheongnam-do Province is an apple wine that has the color of the Redlove apple that has red flesh. It offers a refreshing and clean taste of the full acidity of the apple. “7004S” is a kiwi wine made from organic kiwi grown and harvested in Sacheon, Gyeongsangnam-do Province. It starts with a luscious, sweet flavor at first and finishes with a slightly bitter aftertaste. “Grand Coteau Cheongsoo” from Ansan, Gyeonggi-do Province is a white wine made from domestic green grape, Cheongsoo grapes, and offers a refreshing taste and mild acidity.

Korean wine for Korean cuisine

Locality is considered when pairing wine to food. It is the principle of wine pairing to pair Italian wine with Italian cuisine and French wine with French cuisine. This is because produces from the same environment and soil match the best. Therefore, by this principle, Korean cuisines are best paired with Korean wine. Korean wines are made from different fruits and offer diverse colors, flavors, and aromas. Korean wine may be an unfamiliar concept for now, but if you wish to taste these wines that are full of charm and character, we recommend you visit unique local wineries around Korea.