Korean food matching (not korean bbq)

Here’s a bit more challenging one.
I think pairing chinese, thai, japanese foods with red/white wines are easier than Korean foods.

Which wines do you recommend pairing with Korean foods but not Korean bbq.

Beer

You’re brave.

Correct, but brave. [wink.gif]

Lol. I love Korean food. Have it often. I really don’t think wine works very well. When I visited Korea, no one there drank wine with meals. That has to tell you something.

To be really honest my favorite beverage pairing with Korean food is either hot or iced barley tea. Depending on how I’m feeling. Natural pairing like champagne and fried chicken!

I’m sure there are historical reasons why wine-culture hasn’t developed as much in Korea as it has in other Asian countries. However, I and my Korean girlfriend and her family have enjoyed Champagne, German Riesling, and even red Burgundy with Korean food. Of course, I enjoy Champagne, German Riesling, and red Burgundy with many foods.

In May, I posted this thread about an article by Jon Bonne titled "“Why Bibimbap with Beaujolais Is the New Normal.”

My first thought was a gamay which could have a touch of fruitiness to play off any spicy flavors. Although it may be better for the Korean bbq meats.

At a fairly recent dinner, 1996 Becherelle (Chenin Blanc from Joly) and 1996 Druet Bourgeuil Vaumoreau paired very well with a range of dishes and were outstanding wines as well. A 2012 Marc Angeli La Lune Anjou Blanc also worked pretty well.

Syrah

I lived in Korea for about 18 months in the early 2000’s. I really miss their culture & food. Along with BBQ one of my favorite dishes was Soondubu Jjigae. It’s a tofu stew that’s pretty spicy. I’ve found German Spatlese & Kabinett to work well. I’d imagine off dry Chennin Blanc would work well also. For a red wine I’d lean more toward something really fruity like a Joseph Swan Zinfandel or something from Ridge.

Smooth tannin Aglianico works with beef.

I will assume that your food will be some sort of stew, as most Korean food tends to be apart from a few exceptions like BBQ. If you happen to be eating some stir fry, that’s relatively easy to match.

For stews, I’ll usually tend toward off dry riesling, especially if there’s good spice, but it’s not always a great match. The stews are savory but often contain fermented elements. They’re also not especially fatty, so I find that riesling’s acidity can feel too sharp without fat to cut through. What ends up happening is that I’ll just drink whatever I want to drink, pairing be damned, whether it’s riesling, burg, or napa cab

It’s really hard to generalize with any cuisine because it can vary so much dish to dish. We did a Bo Ssam not to long ago and had both a champagne and dry riesling open. Both worked great but for me riesling and pork is always so good. My Korean mother in law makes Galbi Jjim that and can pair with all kinds of red wines you would normally pair with braised beef. For me, spicy food just kills any kind of red wine and makes both things taste worse. If we are eating Korean food with spice, we stick to soju or cold beer.

Jura with just about anything Asian pileon

Again, hard to generalize. With the various kinds of kim chee? No wine at all. With BBQ red meats, many more. If there’s a fermented soy component as a flavoring, sherries usually work really well. For me, if it’s a pretty spicy dish, wine doesn’t really work too well, unless it’s kind of sweet.

Off dry Alsatian Pinot Gris, or any number of Sake depending on spice level. I’d also try Lambrusco slightly chilled.

If it is Kimchee based, no wine goes with it. Have tried everything and nothing works. Would try Sake or Shochu.

Soju?

Many kinds of kimchee out there, many seasonally based. Don’t want to generalize. neener

The best match with Korean I ever had was a Kikuhime usu-nigori sake in ishobin, which even worked with kimchee. Of course, that’s a mind-blowing sake regardless of pairing. Other options for us include off dry Riesling, Jura and other oxidative wines like sherry or madeira. Spice and sugar are challenges. Like Glenn, I can’t put red wine with spicy food, almost across the board.

I would gladly try all sorts of wines with all sorts of foods, but too much spicy heat destroys my palate for wine, so it would have to depend on the level of heat. Some of the flavors, for example doenjang, might be very interesting with wines as long as the spice is in check.