Kimchi power ranking: the art of pairing Kimchi with wine

Simple fermented vegetables. Cabbage seasoned with shallots, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, salt and red chili powder. At first glance it would seem a simple side dish, instead behind Kimchi there is the essence of the Korean culture. Blazing flavors for who doesn’t fear to experiment. Every single Korean has his own recipe, children too, you will find millions of types and as you keep going south it gets thicker and the heat skyrockets, adapting to local food. You can make it also with cucumbers, onions, radish, there isn’t any strict laws: the handmade ones may have inside a wide variety of ingredients, such as chestnuts and damsons, cardamom, nashi juice and some other things that are kept secret, in fact in all Korean soap operas there is a guy who had made tons of money inventing a revolutionary Kimchi.

Long time ago, Kimchi was a ritual. At the beginning of autumn, the women were used to meet to prepare what would have been the only source of vitamin for all the family, during the long and stiff Korean winter. Today you can see many jars in the home’s gardens, inside that strange mixture is aging. Exactly as a good wine, it’s cutting off the hedges to turn into something more evolved. This is why, except for the most incandescent ones, it’s not difficult to find a suitable wine. If we are going to taste a hot Baechu (cabbage) Kimchi would be wise to pair a wine with body, a bit of sweetness and bubbles, otherwise could be a complete failure. Remember that, because of garlic and and all the seasonings, there will be a lot of sugary suggestions, accordingly, the wine should have a sound tastiness and silky tannins, always.

Once started eating Kimchi you will hate it or you can’t live without anymore, very simple. In Korea to make conversation, they don’t talk about weather but Kimchi. On the subway you will heard people speaking about how delicious were those oyster and Kimchi dumplings, eaten yesterday evening sitting on a bench under the cherry blossoms. Here are our Kimchi Power Ranking.

Frappato Occhipinti 2009

All vintages of this jewel are good. A Sicily wine marked by rare finesse and slightly whispered tannins, thought with a steady structure. Red fruit jam, in which you can catch plums, currant, cherries, black berries, then comes the rosemary that anticipates a warm acidity articulated in waves of eucalyptus, juniper, iodine, cinchona and an iron memory buried under a pine wood near the sea. Pair sweet and balsamic Kimchi, fermented tofu too if you want, but you won’t find a better wine to pair with Kimchi, food and cheeses, starting from the blue ones.

Vernaccia di Oristano 2000 Contini

To be paired with rich fruits and chestnuts driven Kimchi, whose complex textures are sublime with the hazelnuts, candied figs, honey and tea in the wine. The toasting from the oak adds creaminess, which, helped by a sumptuous softness, reduces the piquancy.

Ribolla Gialla 2004, Radikon

A wine proud of its super organic nature. To start, no sulfur at all. Copper color, strong and astringent flavor of plum, rusted raisin and medlar, then the wine opens up a it and pop up nuts covered with honey, vanilla cookie, tea, dried broom, linden and rhubarbs mixed with sugar and smoked chestnut. The tannins are round, but sound and it could be a problem: only for soft Kimchi.

Lambrusco

Bubbles are always a good choice. The amplitude of this marvelous wine can wash away also the most persistent chili, thanks to wild strawberry, cocoa, juniper and pomegranate. In Correggio 2007, Lini 910 is simply great. A splendid Lambrusco made with champenoise method, endowed with a mighty supporting acidity and ripe fruits, like cherries and raspberries corroborated by a crispy foam. Don’t miss also Moro del Moro, 2007 Rinaldini, a still Lambrusco. Flossy tannin, refreshing tastiness, notes of red fruit in syrup, delectable, with chocolate and licorice that fade away in a stout finish. Amazing if paired with a creamy Kimchi.

Lacrima di Morro: Tear of Morro, a lovely village of Le Marche

An unpretentious wine, very soothing, but with good acidity and many fruits sailing over a plump tannin. Kimchi and Lacrima di Morro d’Alba 2009 Mancinelli are a must. The fruit is crunchy and flows velvety, smiting the hotness, while the sharp and herby components engage the cabbage’s soul. Tannins are round enough to not trigger an explosion.

Vernaccia di Serrapetrona

Fresh, opulent nevertheless very drinkable: as Kimchi it causes addiction. At first raspberry, currant, violet and pepper overwhelm the nose, then sizzle in the mouth, exalting garlic and onion aromas, through a fantastic zest surrounded by lots of sweet bubbles. The 2009 Vernaccia di Serrapetrona Dolce, Alberto Quacquarini will make the magic happen.

Pinot Noir

The ethereal wine par excellence could not be missed in our rankings, due to his low alcohol content and tender tannin. Let’s try a medium spicy cucumber Kimchi with the 2008 Pinot Noir from Gottardi, fruity, plush, grassy.

Montepulciano Cerasuolo

Again bubbles, red fruits and floral fragrances in the mix. Strawberries and sour cherries welcome burning Kimchi too. A beefy Montepulciano Cerasuolo Praesidum, filled of minty and salty notes, is the right wine.

Dolcetto

The jack of all pairings. Do you have to match a wine to a light and dainty bulgogi, but you want also to enjoy it with something more peppery, such as a leaf of lettuce stuffed with rice and Kimchi? In Dolcetto you will find a reliable ally. Snappy, juicy, straight, with succulent cherries and cloves, but supported by bland tannin, which unfold into a musky underbrush. Dolcetto di Dogliani Briccolero 2010, an awesome bottle, fleshy and crossed by ripe plum nuances.

Prosecco

Bubbles, fresh fruits and a light body are perfect for chili-free Kimchi. Case Coste Paine’s Prosecco, one of the few re-fermented in bottle, will be a big hit. The 2010 Naturalmente is amazing, a juice of citrus and pears, stirred up by a glacial saltiness—seaweed, iodine and flint. Pretty and easy, is good for cabbage or for the seaweeds that you can mince in bowl of Naengmyeon during the hot Korean summer, but it could endure much complex dishes, like Japchae. If you can find older vintage buy a case, years will refine the yeasts.

Lagrein

Directly from South Tyrol a champion of freshness and elegance. Chewy red fruits highlights and a suggestive toasting dipped in a very gentle tannin. All that you need to exalt intense Kimchi. Give a shot to the 2009 Lagrein Taber Riserva, of Bolzano winery, which has fragrant hints of licorice and coconut. This wine is ready right now, but will reach his peak in five years, so it’s good to be stockpiled.