Marijke van der Ploeg lives with her husband in Portugal, where they transform a ruin into a little palace. She prefers to sit in her chaotic writing office, on the terrace or in the car - in search of unusual, natural wines. For the column Natural Wine Tasting at...she visits natural wineries in Europe and takes you into the world of natural wine.
Currently, my husband and I are travelling through South Korea: the land of fermentation. You don't only taste this in the restaurants, but also see it on the streets. In the courtyards of residential blocks are gigantic pots in which kimchi from different families lies fermenting. Besides this pickled cabbage and vegetables, flavourings like gochujang and the rice wine makgeolli are also inseparable from Korean cuisine. So what about (natural) wine, my favourite fermentation product? Now that I'm here, I'm going to explore. The perfect holiday fill-in.
More wine
First, a few figures - for anyone who, like me, knows little about South Korea's wine culture: between 2016 and 2024, the volume of wine imports rose from 38 to 52.5 million litres (with a gigantic spike of 71 million litres during the corona pandemic). So it seems that interest is growing steadily.
Incidentally, wine remains a minor player in South Koreans' total alcohol consumption: according to the WHO, its share in 2016 was 1.9%. This is expected to rise to over 9% by 2028. By comparison, the total alcohol consumption of Dutch and Koreans is more or less the same, but with us, the share of wine is about 35%.
In the Korean wine landscape, natural wine still forms a niche, but one that is gaining popularity - if the people I speak to are to be believed. Especially in the capital Seoul, natural wine is hip.
Wine bars in Seoul
This is evident from the growing number of natural wine bars and restaurants in the city. In 2017, the first bar opened - meanwhile, according to the natural wine platform Raisin, the counter stands at 25 (out of a total of over 400 wine bars) and there are 30 restaurants that also serve minimal intervention wines. Prices for a glass are between six and 14 euros.
Soon I notice that the list on Raisin is not very meaningful: all the addresses I visit are not on it. My husband and I discover them by chance or they are recommended to us by other natural wine lovers.
Of all things
One coincidence is restaurant Ripper. They explain that they deliberately offer both natural and regular wine, so that everyone finds something to their liking. We see this in several things: even in small eateries, there are sometimes some natural wine bottles standing gingerly among the many other alcoholic refreshments.
At Ripper, we learn that the hospitality industry can only buy from government-approved importers, who mainly stock wines from France, Spain, Italy, the US, Chile and Australia. Wines from lesser-known countries are therefore unlikely to be encountered in South Korea. Incidentally, importers are increasingly offering natural wines - another sign of their rising popularity.
Instagrammable drink
Ripper's owners advise us to go to Ama to go. Here we drink a great Spanish natural wine: Els Bassots, an amphora-aged chenin blanc from winery Escoda-Sanahuja (available in the Netherlands, highly recommended!).
According to the proprietresses, it is not surprising that natural wine bars are springing up like mushrooms in Seoul, as natural wine is relatively new and Seoul likes hip. Moreover, the labels are often colourful and artistic: perfect for Instagram, which is frequently used. In addition, natural wine has a healthier and more refined image than beer and the widely consumed Korean drink soju - and that too appeals to young people.
Yoghurt in the nose, citrus in the mouth
My wish to taste Korean wine comes true at Commentary Sounds. In South Korea, 99% of the wine is imported, so drinking a national one is quite special. The young owner offers us the wine 'Meogom', which he describes as yoghurt on the nose, citrus on the palate - and that's absolutely right. This very dry natural wine contains only 7% of alcohol and is made to accompany Korean food.
Food pairing capabilities are probably another reason why natural wine is becoming more popular in the country. The vibrant and dynamic flavours of naturally fermented wines go well with the rich, spicy flavours of South Korean cuisine - according to a well-known South Korean sommelier.
Quality in the glass
So it seems that minimal intervention wines have won a small but permanent place in the South Korean wine scene: they simply sit among the other drinks on the menu. Moreover, you can usually count on high-quality wines, because as my German husband says: Nobody schleppt einen Scheißwein bis nach Süd-Korea. There is no pin in that.
Read more columns here.
Don't want to miss a single edition? Subscribe then subscribe to WINELIFE Magazine now!
Want to stay up to date with the best articles? Follow WINELIFE magazine on Instagram, Facebook and sign up for our fortnightly newsletter.
English (UK) 
Nederlands 
Deutsch