#Yang Jungah
2017.12.21
Ch 6. Wine Bars in Seoul to Help Bring a Warm End to 2017
Introducing the columns written by member of Amorepacific Group
ColumnistYang Jungah
Amorepacific Mass MC Team
'Let's get together some time and have dinner.' 'Let's try to see each other more often.' We say these phrases with sincerity but soon forget them amid our busy daily lives. And year-end is one of those times to make up for missed or neglected meetings. As a result, many of us tend to have a busy schedule at the end of the year as it becomes filled with all the plans to meet people. The people you want to see before this year ends, or the people you see often but who you are still not overly familiar with − make sure to meet these people before the year 2017 winds down and make those special connections to get to know each other more.
Wine can act as fuel to trigger conversation for those who just started dating, deepen the love of couples who are enamored with each other, and soften the dialogue with relationships that have become somewhat distant. For this final month of the year, I'd like to introduce some wine bars in Seoul that will help to warm your relationship with your friends, colleagues, and love.
Wine can act as fuel to trigger conversation for those who just started dating, deepen the love of couples who are enamored with each other, and soften the dialogue with relationships that have become somewhat distant. For this final month of the year, I'd like to introduce some wine bars in Seoul that will help to warm your relationship with your friends, colleagues, and love.
Abrazo 812 @ Gangnam Station
'One heart and four legs.' Abrazo refers to a basic holding posture of Tango. And it also means a hug in Spanish. This is a wine bar that exudes as much coziness and warmth as its name gives off. In this exotic setting nestled in the loud frenzy of the Gangnam Station area where there is a host of franchise restaurants and bars to choose from, you can fully appreciate Fulfillment by Gustav Klimt situated on the wall by the art-loving owner of this place and listen to romantic French chansons that will surely sweep you off your feet.
In the wine shop found to one side of the place, you can buy and drink your favorite wine or choose to take it out at a price discounted by 20% to 30%. Abrazo 812 has a wine list consisting of as many as 80 wine varieties, from those with reasonable 20- to 40-thousand-won price tags to a collection of wines personally imported by the owner. Whether you want to savor a glass of wine with a friend or see your special someone on a particular day, it's a quaint environment where you can always feel true fulfillment!
★ Recommended wines : La 50/50 produced by Anne Gros, a leading wine producer of Bourgogne, France, along with her husband Jean-Paul Tollot in Minervois AOC, the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region. Price: approx. KRW 60,000.
Bistro Le Mere @ Mangwon-dong
If you wish to have a glass of wine in an outdoor garden surrounded by a variety of appealing vegetation, you can give some thought towards visiting Le Mere in Mangwon-dong. Le Mere is garnering the spotlight of late for being one of the hottest places in Seoul. In this naturalistic setting, you can feel the freshness of nature not only in the wines themselves but also the food they serve and the interior design. Plants are used as interior props here, for example: the grass hanging on the wall and the tables decorated with real flowers. The local atmosphere here can truly feel as if you are having a picnic.
If you remember the natural wines that I told you about in detail in the previous chapter, you can have them here. In Le Mere, they offer approximately 30 kinds of wine including those selected by the owner who was previously recognized as '2015 Korea Sommelier of the Year' by the world's best master sommeliers. They also serve cuisine that pairs well with the wines. This is a special place offering both a pleasant atmosphere and refreshing nature. Mackerel risotto that features mackerel steak on top of vegetable risotto with seasoned thistle from Songnisan, Korea is the iconic dish of Le Mere, and it pairs well with natural wines.
★ Recommended wine : La Cuisine de ma Mere, a natural wine made from pure Cabernet Franc in the Loire Valley. Price: approx. KRW 60,000
37 Grill & Bar @ Yeouido
37 Grill & Bar is located on the 37th floor of the Conrad Seoul. After entering the luxurious lobby of this acclaimed hotel, you have to take an elevator up to the 37th floor to visit this place, where you can sip on some wine while looking down at the nightscape of Seoul and the expansive view of the Han River. If you make a reservation in advance, you can sit at a private table by the window to take in the nightscape with your loved one or sit at a table where you and your colleagues can sit side by side and marvel at the 180-degree view of the Han River through the whole glass pane. So, it is an ideal place to have any particular conversation with certain individuals you may have been putting off. Unlike other hotel bars that are simply known for how expensive they are, 37 Grill & Bar won Awards of Excellence at the Restaurant Awards hosted by Wine Spectator, a world-renowned wine magazine, for four years in a row.
Even if you don't know much about wine, sommelier Kim Seong-wook, who is the winner of 2016 International Young Sommelier Competition, will recommend a certain wine for you. But when you have good wine, there should be good food as well! If you order a five-course tasting menu and add wine pairing, you can experience the best marriage between good food and wine served by a sommelier.
★ Recommended wine : Pertinace Barbaresco made from pure Italian Nebbiolo in the Piedmont region. Price: approx. KRW 120,000.
As I mentioned in the first chapter, something that makes the best marriage with wine is not necessarily a special food, a place in a pleasant atmosphere with sweet music, but good people that you can have wine with. For the past year, I experienced a good time working as a columnist to introduce the field of my personal interest to my colleagues. I close my column hoping you could feel like you are at your favorite bar when reading my six-chapter wine column that ran through the past year. Thank you.
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