Home Plus Wines

Normally I am an E-mart shopper, but Eli, my boyfriend, has recently persuaded me to go to Home Plus. I'd been to Home Plus once before and hadn't been impressed, but I hadn't seen the wine section yet.

Home Plus is a joint venture between Samsung and Tesco - with Tesco owning 94% of the shares. This changes everything. I shopped at a Tesco when I lived in Prague, when I lived in Shanghai. Therefore far from a stranger, Home Plus is actually an old friend in disguise. With its global reach, Tesco produces and imports into Korea its own wines. The star of which is its Cava.

Cava is well described as the Spanish version of champagne. This one is delightful - perhaps because it is produced in its home country! With pizza and a light salad or with a fettucini alfredo dinner, this bubbly delivers just the right flavor. It brings me back to the first time I tasted it in Barcelona. What an unexpected pleasure to find it in Seoul for 12,000W!

The label of this bottle has gotten Eli and I to jokingly refer to it as the "Martha Stewart Wine." The quality of this bottle doesn't quite match up with that of the Cava, but nevertheless, it is the best of the 9,000W wines I have had in Korea. Yup. 9,000W for a decent Malbec. It isn't awesome, but it really hits the spot when you'd rather not spend more than 15,000W for a bottle of wine.

California Merlot: Hayes Ranch

A friend of mine once said, 'Every good get-together needs a screw top wine - so we can get started right away.'

I have to admit that I am a bit wary of screw top wines and boxed wines, but after trying this bottle I am willing to concede that screw tops can be just as good as corked.

Hayes Ranch 2008, Merlot, California

I've been getting into Merlots recently and this is quite a lovely bottle. It is full bodied and the tannin is not overly aggressive. Overall a very pleasant wine.

This bottle was purchased at the Emart out in Tongyeong for 17,000. Unfortunately, the same bottle costs 34,000 won in the Eungnam Emart!!! How sad! I'm going to keep a lookout for another provider, but if there is another get-together soon, I might splurge.

Delicious Chilean Wine

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of picking up some excellent wine. Wines from Chile are some of my favorites and these two bottles are definitely on my repeat list!

Both of these happen to be Merlots, a wine I'm definitely taking a particular shine to.

Arboleda 2008, Merlot, Chile

The rough translation of Arboleda is "Grove." The label boasts of a full flavored wine with notes of black fruit and spice. It does not disappoint! I found it balanced and very full bodied, without too much tannin. To boot, on either side of the golden tree it reads "vinedos sustentables" which must mean that the wine is produced with sustainable practices. I found this beauty at the Hyundai department store. It's on sale right now for about 30,000, so get on it!

Montes Alpha 2007, Merlot, Chile

This second wine is from a label pretty popular here in Seoul. Montes Alpha makes quite a few good reds, though this is the first time I've tried their Merlot. A bit sweeter than the Arboleda, this wine is nevertheless very tasty. It is aged in French oak, so it has more tannins to its flavor, too. This bottle was a gift, but since this label is so popular it should be easy to find. 

Wines are a bit more expensive here in Korea compared to wine in the States because of the import taxes, but which bottles do you still splurge on?