Monday, Oct. 26, 2009

Dynamic Duos: Korean food and wine pairings

"Chicken wings and beer. Caviar and champagne. Japchae and Sauvignon Blanc. Wait, what was that last one?"

My favorite magazine KoreAm recently had a piece by Paul Park, titled Dynamic Duo exploring the perfect pairings of Korean dishes and their vino counterparts.

Park takes favorites like Korean Fried Chicken (Korean's KFC), a sweet, salty and spicy spin on everyone's favorite poultry, and pairs it with something like "An oaky Chardonnay," which refreshes "the tongue and cools the lips so you can conquer your next chicken wing."

Park's favorite selection? Imagery Estate Winery, 2007 White Burgundy, Glenn Elen, Calif.

Another favorite is Bibimbap, a smorgasbord of vegetables, beef and an over-medium egg on top. The match?

"The Woodsy tannins of the Cabernet Franc will cleanse the palate, its fruit will enhance the flavor."

Park recommended CASS Winery, 2006 Cabernet Franc, Paso Robles, Calif.

The magazine is based out of California, so it's no wonder it pays tribute to mostly Calif. wines. While it'd be pretty sweet (and savory) to see a Washington wine on Park's list, perhaps the wine connoisseur has yet to visit it's northern cousin.

Perhaps someday we'll see a Gogi truck (similar to a taco truck, but serves Korean tacos) in the Tri-Cities, or somewhere that serves Soju (Korean vodka). In the meantime, I have Toeshi Teriyaki to tie me over.

My favorite excerpt from Park's article was when he paired Galbi (marinated beef ribs) with a Cabernet Sauvignon. His reasoning?

"The Cab, aka 'king of wine,' is strong enough to hold its own against the king of BBQ."

Nuff said.

You can find the article at iamkoream.com.