Help! I love good wine, but find the prices here unreasonable. I'd rather drink 소주 than pay U.S. $25 for Mouton Cadet or U.S. $16 for Yellow Tail. Thus far I've been able to find one or two decent values, usually from Chile, for under W12,000 at each the bigger grocery stores I've been in, including Dongnae MegaMart. But can anyone improve on that?

What are your favorite wine shops (if any)? And are there any (gulp) wine bars in Pusan?

Disclaimer: yes, I realize I'm not in Kansas (or Oz) anymore; and yes, I'm very thankful for the few bargains I have found. (I never thought I'd be grateful for Chilean cabernet.) And I actually like 소주, which is made from Korea's wonderful (and wonderfully abundant) sweet potatoes, and not from "grain" and certainly not from rice.

You can join a wine club on daum.net. They have monthly dinners and wine tasting. Wine can be expensive here because of the tariffs, but there can be a bargain or 2 around. Ylleo tail was on sale in homeplus a week or so ago. It was around 12 000won which isn't great, but the best you will be able to do. I find homever has the best wine selection these days, but you have to pay about 20-30 000 per bottle. They have Australian Shiraz/Voigner, some Chilean and Spanish wine around that price. You can also buy some wine in the liquor shops in Kukje market cheaper than supermarkets. You can get Montes Carbernet for around 24 000 which is 34 000 in supermarkets.

Actually the commercially produced Soju, which you may not be talkign about (although if you're talking about the traditional stuff I wonder where you get it) is made from Ethanol, water and flavouring, it's not distilled in the sense that other spirits are.

Also, there is some French wine that isn't great, but you can drink it, for 10 000 won in the liquor section of Kukje market.

Someone once told me that most Soju has a whole bunch of preservatives Formaldehyde being one of them. All that I know is I can drink a fair amount and not get hungover. More than 3 shots of soju and I am looking at a headache...

I think the formaldehyde story is a bit of an urban myth, but the chemical nature of it is certainly enough to ruin anyone the next day.

I hit the sales. Every few months HomePlus, MegaMart, E-Mart, Homever, etc. have "1+1" sales or serious price reductions, usually on Chilean or Australian wine. I go to these sales and buy a dozen or more bottles to stock up 'til the next sale comes along. The sales are very hit-and-miss. I hit the various stores about once a month (MegaMart is the one closest to my place, but I visit the other stores monthly-ish to buy stuff the MegaMart doesn't sell) and if I catch a sale, great.

Bottles of wine that are normally 12 to 18,000 won go for 5 or 6,000 during the sales.

What's wrong with Chilean wine? It beats most French wines hands down. Do you know that most French vines are transplants of Chilean vines?
Soju shouldn't be knocked too much either. It's got it's time and place and if you're getting headaches from it, you shouldn't be drinking the 900won variety. It's not like it's expensive. That's like complaining that wine gives you a headache because you drink Ripple or Thunderbird.

Had a Chilian wine ( red ) the other day. I got it for 8 000 at a family mart. Can't remember the name but it was pretty good. Most of the cheaper French wines ie under 10 k havent been so to my liking. I'm not much on wine so I don't pay much more than 12 a bottle anyway...

Too funny, I find I have the same problem...



Again completely wrong, many current French wines are replants of California vines... but what is new... Though there is nothing wrong with Chilean wine.

Weiku Boy,
You could make a night of it and come to nonaim cafe... We are not exactly a wine bar, but we have a very relaxing atmosphere. $22 gets you a nice Aussie wine (we do have a few other kinds)... another $15 for a great cheese platter. Plus, we are pretty generous with the crackers and olives.

Or you could keep checking out the sales at the grocery stores. I've found a few good deals, although it is hit and miss.

There is a nonaim cafe thread floating around near this one for more information.

Peace

There is a wine bar in the KyungSung area, across from Wa Bar and above Thrusday Party if my memory serves me correctly. I haven't been there, but a friend has and he says they have a massive selection and the prices aren't that much higher than buying in the supermarket.

I am in a rush right now, so if you need better directions I will update the post later.

Thanks for all your replies, especially Sadie. I'll definitely be watching for sales at Home Plus, etc. And I want to check out the Nonaim Cafe, next opportunity.

On my last visit to Home Plus I found a nice-looking Argentine malbec, Bodega Privada, on sale for under W8000. I haven't opened it yet; but as long as the wine is drinkable, that is a good price even by U.S. standards.

I found a wine bar, also in the area in front of PNU. It's called Goguma, and it's close to, and just downhill from, McDonald's -- but not the big McDonald's that's on the main street that runs from the subway up to the PNU gate. It's a couple of streets over from -- south of -- the big main street, and is closer to the subway station than the campus. W8000 was the lowest price I saw for a glass of red -- a Spanish rioja and/or tempranillo. The place has a nice atmosphere, dark and elegant but friendly.

Overall, though, I'm sad that wine is so expensive, and thus seen in Korea more as something for special occasions than for everyday living. And it's not just Korea; the same thing is true all over Asia. It's too bad; our hosts don't know what they're missing.

OP, I feel your pain. We moved here from Argentina where our everyday wine cost the equivalent of 1,000 won and an awesome bottle could be had for 10,000. LIke Sadie said the two for one deals are the best, but we don't drink nearly as much wine here as we are used to.

I don't know if you can get it in korea but I gotta tell you, I had my favorite white wine ever...
It is a sweet one though.


Piersporter


good stuff.

Things are looking up. The Bodega Privada W7800 Argentine malbec was certainly drinkable -- better than drinkable. And as preposterous as this might sound, I found a Spanish wine -- actually, a wine rep working in Home Plus pointed it out to me -- for W2900 that is not only drinkable, but actually good. It's called (and believe me, I considered keeping this as my secret) "Valhondo", and there is a red and a white (both for the same price; and yes, W2900 is not a typo). Both are country table wines; but the red appears to be made largely from the tempranillo grape (Spain's signature red grape, used in the wines of Rioja, Spain's answer to Italy's Chianti). The white, which I've had twice now, was surprisingly tasty; and though I was not able to confirm the grape(s), the wine is very similar to the good-value whites from northwest Spain I've enjoyed in Teh States for many years.

Enjoy!

I don't know what you're on about, there are lots of decent wines for around $10.


South African Obikwa: Shiraz, Cab. and Merlot all 6900
Italian Citra: Montepuliciano, Sangeovese, Merlot and Cab. all 7900(now20% off!)
Some decent Ciantis for 10,000
Spanish Solara: Tempranillo for 8800

All at Emart


And many more which I can't remember. . .at homeplus, plus there is always a sale on one brand or another

If you want a hobby, why not make your OWN wine? I do.

It is not great wine, but I have a lot of fun and it is CHEAP.

My best wines are from maechil or pear juice. I like the drinkable stuff I get from Korean grape juice.
You can make wine from anything! Coffee, pomegranate essence, pineapple rinds, watermelon rinds.. whatever.

If you want to try it, I will give you all the basic information and yeasts and such. I use a yeast strain
from Burgundy, France that is very robust and yields high alcohol content. I also have powdered tannin
from grapes that gives grapes that "dry" flavor for red wines , unless you want a sweet wine..
Choose your flavor, add sugar and yeast, then put it in an "oxygen proof" bubbler container that you made.
then WAIT.

This is a VERY easy process. You can drink your product in 30 days, but is NOT wine, yet. You will have a grape
wine at 6 months, but I let some of my product age for years. Its up to you.

Fruit "wines" are drinkable very quickly, except grape. Grape wines need time to age and change, but 6 months is
drinkable.

If you want to try pineapple beer, as made in South Africa, just put what you would normally throw away in a large,
sterile glass jar with some sugar and set it on your counter for a few days or a week. You will have pineapple-beer.
The yeast on the skin will ferment the sugar and give you alcohol. Refrigerate it , or you won't like it as it grows older.

Among my Korean friends, I am "famous" for my machil-ju... Koreans harvest the fruit and age them in a ton of sugar to
flavor the eventual liquid. I buy the juice (or my friends give me home-made), and I just add my yeast and wait. The result
is very mild and very tasty. MUCH better than just taking the juice and mixing it with soju.

Neuveau wine , anyone? contact: urgetoo@myfastmail.com if you are interested.

Name them. Finding decent wines in Korea for under W10,000 (U.S. $11) is not as easy as it is in the U.S.



Are you saying you've actually tried some or all of these, and thus can recommend them? The issue isn't whether there is cheap wine in Korea. Clearly, there is (see: Rossi, Carlo). The issue is finding good quality wines at fair prices, and sharing the information; and if you've found any good values in the W10,000-40,000 range, I'd like to hear about those, too.



Um, OK. The Solara tempranillo is a good tip, though; so, thanks for that. It's not one of my favorites, but I would buy it here. Cheers!

Currently Namcheon Mega Mart has got a tasty Medoc red (appelation Medoc controlle) for 9 thousand and change. It's in the main display area.

Try the Trio from homeplus, it is cab, merlot, and cab franc, i think and it is great. 24k

also the wine next to ONO is really good and the selection of wine is the best I have seen in Busan, Search this thread for ONO for directions...

What's wrong with Thunderbird or Mad Dog 20/20? Are you a snob or something?

Nope, and I got no problem with Soju either. I do have a problem with people telling me sh1te beer like Asahi or Sapporo or that Philippine crap is any better than a Hite. It's all the same weak swill but as it will all get you drunk, it all has a place.
Best wine deals I've found so far, the two for ones at the Mega mart. Good enough for this monkey.

Hite's crap! Maybe you should take a few steps away from the flag and give yer tastebuds a break with that Korean beer. Asahi, Sapporo, and San Miguel are better than Hite. I'd put it to a vote.

If you drink Hite and say it's good, then I'd wager you'd drink Budweiser and Colt 45 back home. Personally, when I am in America, I drink Sam Adams, unless a good microbrew was available.

I vote for Asahi or Sapporo any day, San Miguel is a smooth clean tasting bear that has been around for over a hundred years, good comparing that with Hite.

In Japan there are several kinds of Asahi, we only get 2 or 3 here, they have a large range of styles and tastes. I will continue to buy it if for no other reason than Hite has raised its prices for the bottle so that buying Asahi is only a little more and I DON'T GET THE HITE HEADACHE!!!


Also Soju, do we even need to talk about that swill~

You can get really cheap vodka here that makes soju pail in comparison and soju is only drunk because of culture not taste, you are not Korean if you don't drink it...

There's two so far.

Asahi Sapporo and San Miguel are all about as good as Miller, Hite, or Bud. But where does a guy who loves Thunderbird and MD 20-20 have room to criticize Hite?

YeS!

I'd prefer those to Hite any day of the week. Where these wines give me hallucinations, they don't taste like chilled pi$$ (don't ask!).

Plenty of room!

I'd prefer those to Hite any day of the week. HITE is that bad! Where these wines give me hallucinations, they don't taste like chilled pi$$ (don't ask!) like HITE does. I'd prefer drinking wine strained through Chief Meaty's sweaty sock to drinking HITE! Unless you have a 9mm pointed at my skull, you will witness neither event happen in your lifetime!

Uhm, you've worked out with the Chief, right? I'd quickly retract that statement. And I still say the Japanese and Philippino beers are just as bad as any other pi$$water in a bottle. But I don't mind. I drink pretty much all beers except for Miller, Molson, and Cafri. Those three all taste oddly similar to me, kind of a dank Chief Meaty sweatsock aftertaste.

[size="4"][/size]getting back to wine. i would like to suggest three grant burgess wines all available at e mart. each is a good value in this korean wine market: 1) GB cabernet selling for 9900won; 2)Benchmark shiraz from grant burgess selling for 15,900 and 3) Benchmark cabernet from grant burgess as well, selling for 15,900 won. each is worth a try. all available in the 2005 or 2006 vintage.

As far as Aussie wines in the local grocer are concerned. I enjoy Yellow Tail or Wolf Blass if it's available. Not too haughty, but good enough to accompany most of the fare I present on my table. Aussie Shiraz, Merlots and Cab Sauv blends are great for the occasional steak dinner.

I am disappointed with the selection of Chianti and Valpolicella are woefully lacking. When preparing a decent Italian spread, it's nice to accent it with an above average vino. If anyone has a suggestion, or good intelligence on available Italian reds in Korea, I am all ears.

you might check out winetime in the benecity building in haeundae. they had some nice italian wines there on my last visit. i am not sure of the price you are looking at. but they did stock castello di rampola which sells in the states for about $40. they had it for about 45000 won. it is in the same row of stores as starbucks and hagen daz.

Winetime is excellent, that is the store I was talking about in my previous post. I also picked up some Italian wine at Homever just down the street, They seemed to be having a sale and I got about 5 different decent wines for around 35000.

Check them out they had a sale on quite a few things which was a nice change.

I noticed a new wine shop in Sajik-dong just down from the Sports Complex Subway station on the North-east exit. Haven't bothered to stop in as I just imagine that it's fairly overpriced, plus I can't carry it on my MTB.

The previous Brands I mentioned I have all tried and are decent for the price especially the ones from Italy. To the guy about the Italian Chantis or Valpolicellas, I have found the brand Baldigio Chianti(spelling might be wrong) to be really good at times, although I've gotten 2 rotten corks from that brand and it tasted awful. Zonin Valpolicella. is also pretty good too. you can get both for around 10k at homeplus in Sajik. There are also 2 more pricey brands for around 18 or 20k(haven't tried). Important thing with Chianti is to see if it's the original region or the mixed region grapes.

As far as comparing hite to sapporo, there is no comparison. One is a fine German engineered dry beer, the other is about 70% barley 30% adjunct(corn sugars/junk)+preservative combination that resembles beer. Korea seems to be the only asian country that doesn't have a decent beer, i think it's due to the general lack of interest in beer in their culture. Mind you Max and that Exfeel S are on the right path but they have a LONG way to go. And if you turn around and say German beers are all crap or the same too then you mustn't be a beer lover, rather drinking it just to get drunk. if that's the case just get that cheap commander vodka mentioned before and save a couple bucks.

I noticed a new wine shop in Sajik-dong just down from the Sports Complex Subway station on the North-east exit. Haven't bothered to stop in as I just imagine that it's fairly overpriced, plus I can't carry it on my MTB. Maybe I'll pop in just to be sure. . .

The previous Brands I mentioned I have all tried and are decent for the price especially the ones from Italy. To the guy about the Italian Chantis or Valpolicellas, I have found the brand Baldigio Chianti(spelling might be wrong) to be really good at times, although I've gotten 2 rotten corks from that brand and it tasted awful. Zonin Valpolicella is pretty good too. you can get both for around 10k at homeplus in Sajik. There are also 2 more pricey brands for around 18 or 20k(haven't tried). Important thing with Chianti, they say, is to see if it's the original region labeled 'Chianti Classico' or the neaby regions grapes labeled as per region. the best stuff is supposedly 'Chianti Superiore', imagine that must be a pretty penny.

As far as comparing hite to sapporo, there is no comparison. One is a fine German engineered Japanese inspired dry beer, the other is about 70% barley 30% adjunct(corn sugars/junk)+preservative combination that resembles beer. Korea seems to be the only asian country that doesn't have a decent beer, i think it's due to the general lack of interest in beer in their culture. Mind you Max and that Exfeel S are on the right path but they have a LONG way to go. And if you turn around and say German beers are all crap or the same too then you mustn't be a beer lover, rather drinking it just to get drunk. if that's the case just get that cheap commander vodka mentioned before and save a couple bucks.

Excellent posts all around, guys and gals, especially you, Orion. I'll buy Citra next time I'm at an E Mart based on your say-so, as I really like Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, which is consistently among the best values in the wine world. And I actually bought a Zonin Valpo earlier this evening, after you reminded me of it.

Meanwhile, I continue to be impressed as hell with the Bodega Privada Malbec from Argentina. At W7800, it is one of the best U.S. $8.50 wines I've had anywhere. Everyday wine lives again! And it sure beats dear old 소주 no offense to our hosts.

I'm not a beer guy, but I don't think Cass and Hite are bad. My understanding is that, unlike wine, freshness counts with beer; and the best beers are almost always local brews that haven't traveled far or aged much. The one exception I can think of is Hoegaarden, a wheat beer, which does seem to travel well, and which I've enjoyed just as much here as in the tropical heat of Singapore or a snowy winter in Teh States.

Cheers!

Well I finally made it out to the E-Mart at Guseo, and was rewarded with the best wine shop I've yet seen in Pusan -- by far. It is better even than Orion made it out to be, with a wide-ranging selection that includes many good and/or good-looking bottles for under W10,000. Whoever the wine buyer is for that particular E-Mart location really knows what he or she is doing. Moreover, the sale prices don't require an E-Mart card or coupons; they're just sale prices. Very nice tip, Orion.

At the moment I'm savoring a 2005 Leap of Faith Southeastern Australia Shiraz-Cab, in honor of yesterday's resounding defeat of Dick "Cakewalk" Cheney's odious BFF John Howard. It's under W12,000 and it's delicious.

Cheers! to E-Mart Guseo, and Cheers! to Oz.

E-Mart in Haeundae (right at jungdong station) is having a wine sale. It looks like they are trying to clean out a lot of small lots of wines. They have 5 bottles of this and 7 bottles of that kind of thing. I bought four of the Amigo cab sav and merlot for 5,000 each. A totally drinkable wine. (It's the same one that Homever and 2001 used to sell in 2 for 10,000 box deal). Go check it out. They had about 100 bottles on sale at least.

Two good wines to report: First, Pierre de Valangeay 2004 Bourgueil, a cabernet franc from France's gorgeous Loire Valley. Second, Domaine de Lory 2004 Costieres de Nimes, a syrah-grenache from the hotter Rhone Valley. The former is a light, aromatic red; the latter is a dark, heavy, spicy red. Both are priced at under W10,000 at E-Mart in Guseo-dong.

Also, the Citra Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is indeed a bargain. I like the 1.5 liter bottle for W15,000, equal to two regular-sized bottles for W7500 each, and an especially good value if you drink a half-bottle or more per day, and thus can finish it within the four days it will stay fresh on your kitchen counter with a good stopper. I'll try the Citra Sangiovese next.

건배!

I don't drink wine much but I do frequent a cafe directly above the main Mcdonald's in PNU. They have a huge wine selection and a great relaxed atmosphere. The owner speaks English too, although he is only usually there later in the evenings.

Hey people, just a heads up out there. I was in Homeplus beside Bexco yesterday and they have the Argentinian Malbec Bodega Privada on sale for 4500 won which is usually 7800. I don't know if this sale exists in other locations, or how long it will last. You have to be quick when the opportunity presents itself.

There is a wine bar near Emart in Haeundae which I don't remember the name of, but will post more info on soon.

How about we be proactive and try to form some sort of wine outing? What are some of the wine bars in town? Would anyone be willing to get a group together for a weekend night and try a few bottles at a wine bar? If there were a small group willing to go (between 4-8 people or so) we could split a couple of decent bottles for about the same price as a night on the the town drinking Hite, Cass and 5,ooo won mixers... so what do you say? Let's kick around some ideas or places to go and when.

I wouldn't mind meeting , but it depends. Perhaps my contribution to wine available that I buy might explain. I usually go to Homever to buy wine. I find E-mart and Homeplus as okay, but unimpressive overall.

In Homever they have a good selection of good Spanish, Australian, Chiliean and Argentinian wine. The prices for the "Robert Parker" wines are around the 20 000 - 30 000 range. They have recently had quite a few good Shiraz/Viogniers from Mclaren Vale. I also don't mind buying some Montes wine.

At Kim's Club in the basement of the outlet store near Goejeong Station they have a wide range of Montes wines. The best being the Malbec which has been on sale at times fro 10 000, but usualy goes for around 15 000.

If you like Montes wines some of the foreign food stores in Kukje market have Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon for 24 000, which usually goes for around 35 000 in supermarkets. They also have French wine for around 10 000 which I'm sure would have a similar mark up in supermarkets.

Thanks for reviving the Let's Wine thread. It's about time!

SALE ALERT: Home Plus has Hardy's Southeastern Australia Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay wines on sale right now, for W6360 per 750 ml (75cL). I've tried the Cab and Chard, and imho they are very good values at that price.

Hardy's is a producer that, like Citra, I scorned to try in the U.S.; but I'm very thankful for them now.

With the approach of spring, I've been into whites lately. Anyone tried any remarkable whites lately?

and Trevor, where is the Homever? Thanks. E-Mart Guseo-Dong is still my best store in Busan by far.

Homever is on the main beach road in Haeundae, across from DaeWoo Marina Apt. From Dong Baek Seom subway take I believe exit 1 and look for DaeWoo and Sun Plaza signs and find your way to a road that serves DaeWoo and comes out to the main beach road opposite Sun Plaza & Homever. Homever in Haeundae has the best supermarket wine selection IMO.

Speaking of wine venues there is a Wine Time shop a 2 min. walk from Homeover, going toward the beach, opposite Camellia and beside BeneCity (there's a Starbuck's next door). Without a doubt the best selection of wines are found here, sold by knowledgeable and attentive staff, however at typically higher prices than for the same wines stocked in the supers. Every month though they have 40% promotions on certain higher-end wines, so you can often get some real bargains. Alas, given the lack of customer traffic it gets here in Busan (compared to Seoul), I wouldn't be surprised if it soon goes the way of the dodo bird... like Won Tae's taco shop come the fall.

The Homever I go to is the one in the basement of Zio place which is kind of between Beomnaekol subway station (line 1) and Jeonpo subway station (line 2). I also bought a bottle of Astica Cab.sav. in Lotte department store for 10,000 down from 20,000. It isn't very exciting, but went down well with some pizza.

Reviving this thread where we left off, E-Mart Guseo-Dong has Citra Sangiovese 1.5L (a double-size bottle) on sale for W9900 (down from W15,000). That's a very good bargain in Korea. (Thanks again, Orion.)

I was in Seoul recently, and found something I'd been missing since coming to Korea: pinot noir. In the Lotte Mart at Seoul Station I found (with very little effort) a 2006 Laboure-Roi Bourgogne Rouge (red Burgundy) for under W20,000. (Previous vintages of this wine sold for between $12-$15 in the U.S.) I brought it back to Pusan to age a bit.

The Lotte near Seoul City Hall has a very nice wine store. I chose a 2006 Rothschild Vin de Pays d'Oc "Pinot Noir" for W12,000. I am generally very skeptical of any French wine with "Pinot Noir" on the label, as that seems to indicate it was made for the U.S. market; but something about the bottle -- the attractiveness of the label, the low price, the Rothschild name -- made me want to take a chance. I was rewarded with a very nice wine experience, staying up late at night in my 18th floor hotel room, sitting by the windows, looking out at the lights of Seoul, drinking it slowly but steadily from a hotel water glass (on top of a very good dinner in Myeong-dong of 삼겹살 and 뒨장찌개). That, to me, is what wine is all about.

I bought some Rothschild wine in Busan. I don't think it was Lotte mart. I think it was either Homeplus or E-mart.

Kim's Club in Goejeong is having a sale of low quality French red wine. Bottles are going for 5,000-7,000 won. I've drunk a couple and they are sufficient for downing with pasta or pizza. If you don't think they're that great you can always use them for cooking.

Thought I might also add that there are wine clubs on Daum Cafe. I'm a member of a couple. Might see you at a function if you join.