Wine Pairing -- Korean Food

WINE TALK
21

Opinionated Korean here leans towards sweeter whites like the original recommendation of Gewurz or something Auslese. It’s a go to for really hot Korean or Thai food at our house and a great balance to soured kimchi. (I don’t like my kimchi too fresh. It’s too bland. The cabbage has to start turning translucent on the white ribs. A couple weeks in the fridge after a week on the counter. Radish kimchi or white kimchi, another story.) If you are not pushing the envelope on heat, just drink a Sprite or high-quality orange juice.

Growing up eating kimchi stew, I had no idea the sweet of orange juice was a good pairing to the heat and tart of the stew. Every once in a while, there’s still nothing like a cold juice with hot soup.

If you are laying off the really hot stuff and having beef ribs in whatever preparation (there’s BBQ aka LA Kalbi, short ribs/bulgogi, or kalbi jjim) the marinade is sweeter. Something nice and spicy like a syrah would be great. Go for something balanced with some acidity and spice. But if you are doing pork/chicken BBQ which is always hot, then I would exhort you to stay away from a red.

Cold beer is OK. I agree with JKim to stay away from HITE, OB or CASS. (Bud, Miller, Coors of ROK) Never had Yebisu. I dislike rice beers no matter the nation of origin. I would stay with something light like a pilsner or just go whole hog for a hefeweizen heavy on the lemon or a shandy for that tart/sweet balance.

Um, if you were really Korean, you’d just drink through it and pop open a lot of stuff and experiment till you find the right combo. Go ahead, get all Gangnam-style and break out the VSOP. They drink in shot glasses in in Gangnam. lol (No, not kidding, very serious. They have no idea how to drink cognac.)

NEVER, EVER DRINK Cha-am soju. Vile stuff with odious green tea flavors.

You know, if you can find it in Chicago, try makkoli. It’s a rice based liquor. In DC you can find weakened makkoli at the Korean markets. But the real deal is basically cloudy moonshine.

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This is the kind of thing that orange wine is great for.

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I lived in South Korea for just shy of two years; I almost always drank beer with their foods when I was eating local. For the Galbi-jim I would think about something like Cru Beaujolais or a light-medium body Zin (Easton or Scott Harvey). Kimchi is going to be tricky…but I think Gewurtz is the best choice…maybe even a young sauternes. Who knows? It could hold well for the Galbi too.

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My partner is thinking the same thing. Orange wine or a Sauterne. Even a slightly sweet Vouvray.

I think the trick is to pair either with the BBQ meat or with the sides. We eat stuff on the hotter side so we tend to favor sweeter wines for hotter food. But if the diners are meat and rice people who are staying away from the vinegary banchan, a red would be ok.

I want to stress on a really traditional table, you are faced with many different flavors with all the side dishes so you really won’t be able to pair to all the dishes on the table so no need to try.

If you’re sticking to less challenging sides that aren’t too hot, then a red is ok. But if you’re having a really spicy soup/stew like soob tubu, I’d go with a sweeter white. With a lot of raw octopus, squid and oyster, then a briny champers and bring on the Korean sauces made with red pepper paste and miso.

25

Pinot noir or an Etna rosso or a mencia … pretty much any not-very-tannic medium-bodied red ought to work, especially if you are going with the Korean meat dishes (vegetarian or seafood I’d probably go with the whites): those are pretty robust dishes that can take youthful reds.

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Keep in mind, too, that you don’t need an exact wine match for every item you serve. You can drink Cabernet with your steak and asparagus, even though cabernet and asparagus aren’t literally a good pairing straight up.

If your main course is Kalbi, that’s just a fairly mild and slightly sweet tasting marinated and grilled beef. What goes well with that? Most hearty red wines. Don’t let all the “Just drink beer” and “the only wine that might go with that is 2004 Muscadet or maybe a Demi Sec Vouvray” crowd talk you out of it.

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The pairings that work with Korean food can get really specific. Spiced oyster (in spicy red pepper sauce) worked well with muscadet. I go easy on the kimchi while eating bulgogi or kalbi so almost any red I’m in the mood for works - just try to think what you’d like taking into account the sugar and sesame oil that goes into the marinade that’s used on the beef.

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I served for a year in South Korea back in 82-83 and then after I retired from the US Army I was an Army contractor who did two visits a year to South Korea from 2003 through 2010. I am a very big fan of traditional Korean food and am also a big wine geek…I would go with some of the pairings friends and I have made over the years. Australian Grenache or GSM blends can really work well with the grilled meats as can bright CA Zinfandels. Don’t let the kimchees and the assorted vegetable side dishes throw you off…and don’t forget to have some good jasmine or similar rice to accompany the meat(s). Yes, good beer is also an option (I personally don’t drink beer but many of my friends do…but they usually say that OB or Crown or the regular Korean brews are pretty nasty.) Makkoli is some strange stuff and unless I was somewhere off in the sticks playing the flower card game with some locals after a hard night of partying i would stay far away from it…and soju, just forget it unless you have a death wish. Cheers, Bob

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I’ve served the big Syrah with grilled short ribs, but here’s an interesting suggestion: Loire Cab Franc. You know that pickled/green flavor that you sometimes get from a Bourgueil or a Chinon - for my palate that element works fine with Korean food which already is welcoming of the pickled flavors.

30

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Glad to see there are plenty of people who dig Korean fare, like I do.

I think this is probably key. It’s probably impossible that pairs perfectly with grilled short ribs in a sweet marinade…and spicy pickled cabbage. I’m thinking that the Zin and Syrah pairings are possible (partly based on what wines I have in my cellar). The idea of orange wine is hella tempting though (never tried one).

I’d have to think that somewhat lower alcohol is better, so as not magnify the heat of the red peppers, no?

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I’m not so sure.

It realy depends on what type of food or style of Korean food we are talking about. In LA we have a crazy, diverse Koreatown with a variety that makes my head spin. Korean bbq is pretty straight forward. But when you get into the various banchan, the flavors tend to be spicy, sour and sweet. Since Kimchi seems to be at almost all of these meals, I don’t necessarily think of pairing options. Many orange wines have a texture and slight tannic mouthfeel which for me detracts. With K BBQ I like low acid, low tannin reds: softer Beaujolais, young simple Priorats, Zweigelt, etc… I prefer simple wines, generally speaking, with the majority of Korean food. I find the food so complex and varied that it remains the centerpiece rather than the wine. Simple, younger wines are my preference.

When you get into Soon Tofu and hot pot dishes, I prefer beer to temper the heat (both temp and spice).

It’s been a while,but I use to frequent a place called Yong Su San that specializes in Kaesong (Northern Korean) cuisine. The vairety of dishes is very different and unique with the context of the Korean cuisine.

I know this is quite dated (from Aug 2004) but perhaps this will give a better understanding of the food and pairings.

My wife and I gathered with six of our friends for a Northern Korean (Kaesong style) dinner at the wonderful Los Angeles K-town restaurant Yong Su San. Kaesong was the capital of ancient Koryo for a few hundred years and is renowned for its highly-developed cuisine. The cuisine of Kaesong is quite interesting and different from that of the Southern Korean. Anyone in the Los Angeles area should make a point of visiting this exceptional restaurant. Both the unique cuisine and ambiance make it a LA treasure. Our group of eight was given one of the many private rooms. I had arranged ahead of time to bring wines and stems. I have dined at Yong Su San several times, albeit, sans wine. The task of pairing the wines with the various dishes was quite challenging, even more so with the added stipulation of a small per person wine budget. Enough babbling…onto the dinner and wines.

We started with Ho Bak Jook (soft creamy pumpkin pottage) which is a thick and viscous porridge, very concentrated in flavor. It paired really well the light and crisp NV Zardetto Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Brut.

Next up was three dishes served together. Gye Ja Che (Gold strands of jelly fish with crisp asian pears and cucumber marinated in a spicy mustard dressing, served with 100 year old egg), Seng Ya Che (Fresh green salad in a special sesame dressing) and Kaesong Che Na Mool (Kaesong style sweet sour spicy mixed salad of bean sprouts, watercress, radish and persimmon). These three dishes contrasted nicely with one another, yet managed to compliment each other at the same time. Each dish seemed to have a component that paired well with the other two. The dressing on the Seng Ya Che was especially flavorful. I served a 1999 Dr Fischer Ockfener Bockstein Spatlese. Rather light in body and more resembling a kabinett in weight, it featured notes of citrus and hints of honey. The wine had less mineral and acid than what I like in German Riesling, but seemed to work well with these three dishes.

Je Yuk Soon De (a plate of steamed tender pork belly slices served with kimchi salad) was the next course served. Not my favorite of the night. The pork was rather bland though the 2003 Domaine du Saint Esprit Rosé (Cotes de Provence) was wonderful. Crushed roses, tangy acid and well structured, makes this one of the better ’03 Rosés for me.

Chung Po Mook (Clear soft jelly pasta of mungbeans marinated and mixed with beef and mushrooms, sprinkled with crushed seaweeds) was next. This is a fantastic dish. The supple texture of the mungbean noodles, the earthiness of the mushroom with the beef and the contrasting flavor of the seaweed made this a memorable dish. It paired really well with the 1998 Josmeyer Pinot Gris. Nice aromas of flowers and honeysuckle, with a flinty mineral component. The aromas continued on the palate with some vanilla emerging. This wine seemed to accentuate the earthy flavor of the Chung Po Mook.

The next course was served. It featured two dishes, Jun Yu Hwa (Pan fried egg with fish and zucchini tempura) and Pai Ju Yo Ri (Fresh sea scallop a la Yong Su San with mushroom and broccoli). Both dishes were light and refreshing. The Jun Yu Hwa had a very mild flavored fish and was finished with a flat parsley leaf in the batter, which made for a nice presentation. The scallops were buttery and delicious. I chose the 2002 Con Class Verdejo (Rueda) to go with these dishes. A nice friendly version of Verdejo with a touch of Sauvignon Blanc thrown in for good measure. This wine was both enticing and refreshing. It showed notes of pear and honeysuckle. Low in acidity, but with medium body, this could be considered Spanish Sancerre without the grassy, mineral qualities.

From light and refreshing to pungent and spicy, out came the Kaesong Bo Sam Kimchi (Royal Kaesong style Kimchi, wrapped with various fillings). No wine could compete with this dish and I didn’t even consider one. I didn’t really eat much of this, but then again, I have not yet grasped the fine subtleties of Kimchi. All I can say is it smelled and tasted like it should.

On to the main course. Bul Kogi San Juk (Barbecued tender beef fillet, marinated in a soy sauce and garlic) served with Jap Chai (Glass noodles and various fresh crisp vegetables stir-fried in special Korean sauce). The beef was very thin and cooked through in a light, sweet, plum style sauce. It was really delicious. The side dish of Jap Chai added a nice compliment to the meat. The noodles had a sweet fragrant aroma. To go with this dish I selected the 2003 Castle Rock Carneros Pinot Noir. I have been following Greg Popovichs’ wines for several years. In my opinion, he is producing some of the best wines at the $10 and under price point. The ’03 Carneros is another well made offering. Showing more of a candied sweet quality than previous years, it still has the power and body to stand up to strong flavors. Notes of cherry, plum, spice and a touch of smoke dominate the flavor profile. The wine is nicely balanced with a full, lasting finish. It was a great compliment to the Bul Kogi San Juk.

We then were served a soup course with choice of On Myun/Neang Myun (Warm/Cold buckwheat noodle soup garnished with julienne beef and egg strands) or Jinji and Tang (Steamed rice and soup). I chose the Jinji and Tang which was a chicken broth soup with strands of egg and glutinous balls of rice similar to boba. Having little room left, I sipped some of the broth and set the dish aside. The broth was flavorful and satisfying, but I was much too full to eat anything else. No wine pairing for his dish.

After some time to relax and reflect on the fabulous meal we had just enjoyed, our delightful server brought out some dessert. Su Jung Kwa (Persimmon punch made of fresh ginger, cinnamon and honey) is a refreshing concoction that was served with Yak Kwa (ginger cookies and fresh orange slices). This combination was very nice and the perfect way to end an exquisite meal, almost. Out came a bottle of NV Benjamin Tawny Port. Now we could retire.

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This is one of very few meals I wouldn’t serve wine with. All of the different strong flavors, the acid, spice, sweetness, such different experiences from bite to bite (with the different foods on the table) – I would just want an easygoing beer to cleanse the palate.

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johnny walker black

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Chae Yi is right.Or Soju, or delicious makkoli… Korean food is probably the least wine friendly of all both conceptually and flavourwise.

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My wife is Korean so we eat kimchee alot. Pinot works well so although I wouldn’t open a subtle burg the CA versions, which tend toward sweetness, work well. Also beaujolais.

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I’m actually quite shocked there’s so many posts for this question.

LA K-town offline??? Let’s prove once and for all that wine is or isn’t a good match for Korean food.

37

Drank Leroy with k BBQ. I mean if you do a non marinated meat. It’s no big deal what you pair with it.

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Just wait until Todd shunts these threads off onto a rarely-visited forum of their own.

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That’s like saying “What do you pair with red meat?” :wink: And yes, Leroy would pair nicely with non marinated meat.

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Btw joe. We had a wine dinner in ktown with matt matt and gaurav two months ago. It was wonderful. You had work :stuck_out_tongue: