A new duo: samgyeopsal and wine

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Tue, September 26, 2023 | 12:38

Foreign Affairs

A new duo: samgyeopsal and wine

Posted : 2011-07-17 15:41

Updated : 2011-07-17 15:41

A man busily barbeques “samgyeopsal,” or pork belly cuts, that is very popular among Koreans, at the German Ambassador Hans-Ulrich Siedt’s residence in Seoul Thursday.

“Samgyeopsal,” which literally means three-layered pork in Korean, is usually coupled with “soju,” but the pork belly cuts that is a long-time favorite meat among Koreans surprisingly pairs well with the dry German Riesling.

“German white wine goes very, very well with Korean food,” said German Ambassador to Korea Hans-Ulrich Siedt as he raised his glass to toast his fellow guests on Thursday who had come together at the Ambassador’s residence to the informal event that quaintly put the two commodities together.

For the Ambassador, this realization came only after he had samgyeopsal in order to assuage his hunger from his usual hike in one of the Korean mountains with his wife.

At first, it did not seem the thick, fatty slices of pork meat could go together with the fruity white wine, but one did not have to be a connoisseur to appreciate the subtle interplay of sugar and acid from the wine with samgyeopsal. The barbecued meat helped eliminate the excess oil that usually gave it the rich flavor but greasy substance.

Riesling is one of the world’s finest wines, and without any query, the greatest Rieslings, both grape and wine come from Germany.

Many assume all Rieslings are sweet, but in fact, most Rieslings no matter their origin, are dry. And Germany’s Rieslings are not an exception. Though dry Rieslings may first come off as shrill, creating more thirst rather than quenching it, with a couple more sips one may appreciate the simple yet refreshing taste and "noseful" of mineral aromas he or she encounters.

This mineral flavoring on the palette that the German Riesling gives is probably its trademark.

“Because it (the Riesling grape) grows on the slopes of mountains where the soil is very rocky… there are many minerals,” said Ambassador Hans-Ulrich Siedt. “So now you are drinking healthy minerals that are coming out the soil.”

The Korea-EU free trade agreement (FTA) that had taken effect at the beginning of this month had immediately slashed 70 percent of tariffs on many imports including wine.

“Wine used to be a very expensive commodity,” said the German ambassador. “But nowadays with the FTA and with very low tariffs for sea transport, wine is becoming very competitive.

But will even the lowered prices brought by the Korea-EU FTA be able to replace the beloved soju among the “ajeossis” (older Korean men) when they’re grilling samgyeopsal with their colleagues? Probably not. But perhaps Korean’s increasing awareness to health and wine’s perception as a natural and healthy alcoholic drink may become a segway to the mass marketing and appreciation to the samgyeopsal and Riesling pair, especially among the women niche.

shpark@koreatimes.co.kr