Good Wine on the Cheap in Korea

Nero D'Avola

2012-01-13T04:52:00.001-08:00

Region: Sicily

Producer: Cantine Settesoli

Selection: TESCO

Varietal: Red,

Vintage: 2009

Volume: 13.5%

Price: w8.900

Taste: full-flavoured
Notes: Its got the funk. She roars with the beast, the way I like it. Oaky, blackcurrant my ass.A liitle chalky but that animal funk is still there. Oh, she's growling! Italy, you've never has such pluck at these prices.Rasins.

Music: Verdi

Food: When wine critics don't know what to pair with a wine, they say: pasta and beef or lamb. Well, I guess I'm a wine critic, so, pasta, lamb, and sandwiches.

Rawson's Retreat: A Picnic in Strawberry Fields

2012-01-13T03:33:00.000-08:00

Region: Australia, Barossa Valley
Producer: Penfolds
Varietal: Red, Shiraz/Cabernet
Vintage: 2009
Volume: 13.5%
Price: w12,500 (on sale)
Taste: fresh, fruity and lively - as gay as a wine can be
Notes: Strawberry, guinea spice, hibiscus, vanilla, black tea. Summer in a bottle. Cherry-red colour. I keep thinking of Ceres juices and summer camp. Auzzie wine is almost like bokbunja ju to me but with health-food-store and grandma vibe. I want to drink this on a swing. In Korea, Auzzie wine seems overpriced to me, maybe because of the tariffs but at w12,500 this is a steal.
Music: Rufus Wainwright - One Man Guy
Food: Strawberries always goes well with barbecue, black pepper and picnics.

Crozes-Hermitage: Ode to hunting boar in a dark oak forest

2012-01-13T02:39:00.000-08:00

Region: France, Northern Rhône, grown in vineyards near the town of Tain l’Hermitage
Producer: Cave de Tain
Selection: Tesco
Varietal: Red, Syrah
Vintage: 2007
Volume: 12.5%
Price: w20, 000 (on sale)
Taste: "Robust and rich"
Notes: Musty, animal proteins, irises. Maybe jasmine. Meat curing in a cave. Drinks like a bottle that cost twice the price. The Rhone valley is one of those regions that never fails to produce surprisingly good wine at affordable prices. Its a go-to region if you are on a budget but want a wine that won't disappoint. And that is what its all about for me.
Music: Gaetano Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore
Food: I had this with black olives and Jamón ibérico. It was one of those lucky guesses that make other people think you know what the fuck you are doing. Perfect match.

Vino Rosso Sicilia: A great wine for a teething child to suck from your pinky.

2012-01-07T04:54:00.000-08:00

Region: Sicily

Producer: Caviro SCA
Selection: Tesco
Varietal: Red, Nerello Mascalese, Nero D'Avola
Vintage: None
Volume: 12%
Price: w8, 900
Taste: "Light and fruity".
Notes: Juicy but not to sweet. Clean, fleeting, a subtle suggestion of raisins, currants, prunes. Wouldn't stand up to a proper Sicilian pizza. Try something more ballsy, something salty, spicy. Serve it a little chilled in high balls, at this price you can afford to. Mangiamo!
Music: Rai, Khaled in particular.
Food: Something North African with lots of harissa. A spicy zuppa di pesce maybe, this is a wine that won't get in the way of loud spices.

Valpolicella: Una breve come puttane gemito! or As brief as a whore's moan!

2012-01-07T02:51:00.000-08:00

Region: Italy, Northern - Veneto
Producer: Cantina di Soave sac
Selection: Tesco
Varietal: Red, molinara, rondinella, corvina.
Vintage: None
Volume: 11%
Price: w12, 400
Taste: "Light and fruity"
Notes: Clean, a little sour. Vanishes. Very low tannin. Can't taste much sulphites, but you know they are there. "Light-bodied" indeed. Oh! but she's fuck-able! If only because she goes down without resistance and won't call you back in the morning.
Music: Avo Part
Food: Something with a rich, complex sauce the needs an acidic wine to cut through it.