“You say wine is difficult? Pour yourself a glass at home and look at the color. Dark-colored wine goes well with beef, light-colored wine with chicken, and medium-colored wine with pork, so you won’t go wrong.”
On the last day of the Korea Wine & Spirits Awards EXPO held at Hangnyeoul station's SETEC on the 9th, Kim Sang-mi, director of the Wine & Spirits Academy (WSA), shared practical advice for beginners under the theme of 'interesting wine stories.' The lecture hall was filled with over 100 audience members interested in wine.
“The Korea Wine & Spirits Awards EXPO is the 12th edition of Korea’s representative liquor evaluation competition this year. It has been held annually since 2014 by ChosunBiz with the goal of “discovering and widely promoting good domestic alcohol and supporting the formation of a healthy liquor culture. This year, it expanded to a three-day event.
◇ 8,000-year history “the divine droplets”... “Choose food based on color”
Director Kim Sang-mi explained why wine is referred to as “the divine droplets,” stating, “Beer is intentionally made by humans, but wine is a mysterious drink that ferments naturally when grapes are pressed and left alone. It has been regarded for a long time as a beverage created by gods and given to humans.”
She pointed out “satisfaction of the five senses” as one of the great attractions of wine.
“The sound of pouring wine stimulates the ears. Then you see the color with your eyes, smell the aroma with your nose, and enjoy the taste and texture with your mouth. As you fall for the charm of various wines that are smooth like silk and comforting like velvet, your bank balance may deplete quickly.”
For consumers who enjoy wine, choosing the right wine for food is always a daunting task. Kim emphasized that by simply looking at the color of the wine, one can easily match it with suitable food.
“Dark-colored wines like Cabernet Sauvignon pair well with juicy meats such as steak or lamb. Light-colored wines like Pinot Noir go well with poultry such as chicken or duck. Merlot, which has a color that is right in between the two varieties, is also a good match for most meat dishes, including pork.”
The lecture continued with wine etiquette and how to drink it. She said, “It’s best to hold the stem of the wine glass according to the standard, but it’s fine to comfortably hold the bowl. The rim of the glass is the thinnest and most fragile part, so when toasting, it’s better to lightly touch the bowl rather than the rim.”
The audience nodded at Kim's easy explanations. Kim noted, “Surprisingly, non-spicy Korean dishes, like those served during ancestral rites, pair well with wine,” and encouraged them to try traditional sweets, stating they also go well with sweet wine, so they shouldn't hold any preconceived notions.
◇ Don't just stick to whiskey... Homemade highball recipe shared by a bartender
“A highball can be easily made by anyone with just a base spirit and a mixer. It doesn't have to be whiskey. Any spirit you enjoy, like soju, gin, vodka, or traditional alcohol, can be used.”
Andy Yoon, brand ambassador of Kennedy House Spirits (KHS), introduced easy-to-make highball recipes for home use under the theme of :new homemade highball recipes.” Yoon, who operates bars such as Bar Tea Scent, Bar Geranium, Calcados Garden, and Ebb & Flow in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, is also an owner-bartender.
He said, “High-alcohol spirits can be burdensome to drink as they are, but when made into a highball, they can be enjoyed deliciously and cleanly.” He added, “For example, mixing Chinese baijiu with sparkling water or ginger ale can make it much more comfortable and allow you to enjoy new flavors that you hadn't experienced before.”
Ambassador Yoon revealed a highball recipe that can be made and enjoyed at home. The most basic whiskey highball is made by mixing a shot of whiskey with 150ml of Perrier sparkling water.
Tropical coffee is a cocktail made by mixing rum with coconut syrup, pineapple juice, and espresso. Rum is mainly made by distilling sugar cane or molasses in the Caribbean region.
“Coffee and rum come from similar regions, making them a good match. Ingredients coming from the same area generally harmonize well together.”
Finally, he stated, “The recent global trend is low-alcohol and non-alcoholic cocktails,” suggesting that a non-alcoholic highball using syrup could create a healthy drinking culture that everyone in the family can enjoy together.