My Life. My Time. My SoKo.: Korea and Wine

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Korea and Wine

Korea may not have my favorite liquor, but Korea does have my favorite wine. And they have a lot of it. They even have my most favorite brand by my most favorite vineyard, and last night it was on sale. Down from W35,000 to just W17,000. If I'd had a way to lug it to the parking lot, into a taxi, and up to the 3rd floor of my building, I'd have dipped into my savings at home to buy a case. It made me that happy.

It is Moscato d'Asti by Castello del Poggio.

I fell in love with this wine when I purchased a bottle at a little wine shoppe in Port Orange, Florida, in 2008. It was the only bottle of this particular vineyard that I had ever had, even until just a few minutes ago when I opened it, but it wasn't for lack of trying to get my hands on another bottle. I just couldn't find it again. I saved that bottle from that one time I drank it in 2008 until February of this year when I moved out of my apartment and came to Korea. And there it was last night in Home Plus, next to all of the other Moscato d'Asti wines from Italy. Ok, ok, there were other Moscato wines from around the world as well, but it's just like Champagne... you can't call it Moscato d'Asti unless it's from the Asti region of Italy. And that's why all of the other Moscato wines from around the world kind of suck. I'm not a snob about most things, but I am a snob about Moscato d'Asti wines. When I say I've tried them all, I'm not lying. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is my absolute favorite. And it's just the way I remember it being back in 2008. That was a 2007 vintage then, and today's bottle is a 2010 vintage. The bubbles are just as tiny, the taste is just as sweet, the ... who am I kidding? I'm not a wine connoisseur at all and don't pretend to be. I just know what I like, and this is it. I don't even have a wine glass to enjoy it from, and it's just as tasty as it would be if I did.