I enjoy wine. I don't remember exactly, but I think I started actively drinking wine around 2010. I've been drinking it periodically for at least over 10 years. I probably always drank three or four bottles a month.

Having drunk for over 10 years, you might think I have some professional knowledge and can distinguish wine tastes well. That's not really the case. Although I'm interested and occasionally get information from YouTube or blogs, my knowledge is quite meager. The wine information app I use allows me to leave tasting notes, but I still only leave comments like whether it's good value for the price or not. It's usually a relative evaluation. This one is better than that one. That one is better than this one. Like this. I want to leave sophisticated notes, but my nose and tongue don't seem to be sophisticated.

In the beginning, I mainly drank low-priced wines rumored to be good value. As my tolerance (or perhaps, audacity) grew, the price range for my daily wines increased, recently becoming more than three times higher than before. And I started occasionally drinking relatively expensive wines. Very occasionally, at wine markets, and even then, expensive means around the 100,000 KRW (approx. $80-90 USD) range...

I originally liked alcohol but didn't prefer wine much. I had the impression that it was a sweet drink, and I didn't want to drink sweet alcohol. There was also the perception that it was expensive, which is partly true. Then, for some reason, I encountered the manga "Drops of God." After accidentally reading this manga, I realized that wine had a different world compared to the alcohol I usually drank, and I learned that there were many good wines at surprisingly reasonable prices.

Let me share my thoughts on wine as an alcoholic beverage and recommend some of the wines I've drunk. If you're in a hurry, scroll down to find the list.

Thoughts on Alcohol

I've suddenly passed 40, but the saying "age of forty, free from vacillation" feels meaningless as I'm still easily "vacillated," so I think I'm still young. It might be an ignorant thought, but as I get older, it seems like all my preferences are changing from a fiery, passionate inclination to a taste for leisurely enjoying the moment. My taste in alcohol seems to have changed in that way too.

As I spend more time in the working world, I have less time to fully enjoy hobbies, so I tend to find fun in things that are easily accessible. For me, that was Pu-erh tea, drip coffee, and also wine. The romantic image of drinking alcohol might be like a cool city guy, swirling a glass of whisky on the rocks after work while looking at the city night view. But whisky wasn't my taste. You might argue that I could enjoy other hobbies during the time I spend drinking, but well, I think there's a certain vibe that only alcohol can provide.

Nowadays, sipping a glass of wine slowly over a long period from early evening on weekends while enjoying a hobby is such bliss. Sometimes I read a book or watch Netflix. Sometimes I play games. Occasionally, I even code. Drinking just a little feels like having a soft drink that slightly lifts my mood. Sparkling white wine especially gives that feeling.

Writing like this makes it seem like my main drink has defected to wine and I only drink wine, but I vary my choice of alcohol depending on the food I want or the situation. When I meet friends, it's soju without hesitation. I started intending to switch my main drink to wine, but it feels like wine has just been added as another option :( I don't have much money, but my palate keeps getting more refined.

The Revelation from "Drops of God"

Because I decided to try wine due to the manga "Drops of God," I initially tried a few affordable wines featured in it. The very first one I drank was Jorio. It wasn't a cheap wine to start with, but it was among the more affordable ones in the manga. (All image sources are from Wine21)

Jorio

It was probably in the low 30,000 KRW range at the supermarket. At first, perhaps because I had read the manga, I felt like I could taste the flavors described, and it was quite good. I thought, "Oh? Wine is worth trying." It was like curiosity. Since it tasted completely different from the cheap wines I had occasionally encountered, it felt appealing. Anyway, after trying Jorio, I fell deeply into the world of wine. I started visiting large supermarkets regularly, and each time I went, I bought four or five bottles of wine in the 10,000-20,000 KRW range. Jorio seems like a decent wine to start with. Not long ago, I tried the white-labeled Family Collection. It wasn't bad for the price (20,000 KRW range). However, I remember being very disappointed when I accidentally drank Jorio S. I drank it without knowing, but later found out it was a lower-tier wine.

For a while, I drank different kinds each time. Gradually, my preferences narrowed down, and that led me to Chilean wine. Chilean wines generally offer good value for money. I recommend Chilean wines for the mid-to-low price range. Anyway, there's a wine I drank the longest and the most. It's the famous Casillero del Diablo, said to sell one bottle every second worldwide. Specifically, the Cabernet Sauvignon.

Diablo

You can buy it in the low 10,000 KRW range at the supermarket, and they often have promotions where you can get it for under 10,000 KRW. During this period, whenever there was a sale, I would stock up on five to ten bottles. When I went to the supermarket, Diablo was always my main purchase, and I would try one or two new ones additionally. I think I primarily drank Diablo like this for at least 5-6 years. Highly recommended as an initial daily wine. Diablo's winery is Concha y Toro, a very famous winery that produces not only affordable wines like Diablo but also many high-end wines. Of course, I haven't tried those.

During this period, I also boldly tried a wine in the 40,000 KRW range. It was a Chilean wine called Escudo Rojo. At that time, based on my preferences, it was definitely good. I bought it for special occasions. When someone asked for a wine recommendation, I used to suggest Escudo Rojo. The people I recommended it to were also satisfied. I had forgotten about Escudo Rojo for a while, then I happened to see its changed label at a wine shop and thought, "Huh? What's this?" I checked the price, and it had changed to the 20,000 KRW range. Thinking it was a windfall, I bought a bottle. Wow. I don't know if it was because of the vintage or if my taste had changed, but it wasn't great. Diablo was simply better.

While I had established some regularly consumed wines like this, I continuously tried various others, usually under 20,000 KRW. Rather than buying based on knowledge, I mostly picked ones that were cheap or heavily discounted. In terms of frequency, I consistently drank more than three bottles a month. And gradually, my psychological resistance to price started to decrease.

Growing Audacity (and Liver?)

Near my new home, there was a warehouse-style hypermarket (Abbreviation: ET), where I could find good quality wines at quite low prices. Knowing that this hypermarket was generally a bit cheaper, I started trying various wines without hesitation.

I thought it was time to move beyond Diablo as my main wine. Although a significant amount of time had passed since I started drinking wine actively (?), it was still a time when I wouldn't know the taste even if I drank expensive wine (still the same now..), so I looked for a main wine modestly in the 20,000 KRW range.

Naturally, I first looked for wines from Concha y Toro (maker of Diablo) or San Pedro (maker of 1865), which I enjoyed. Chilean wines. It was hard to escape the good value Chilean wines. That's how I found Concha y Toro's Marques de Casa Concha. Again, the Cabernet Sauvignon suited my taste.

Marques de Casa Concha

You can buy it in the late 20,000 KRW range at hypermarkets. It's a heavy, full-bodied wine. I found it best when slightly chilled. From this point on, I started drinking wine slightly cooler.

When I first tasted it, wow~ it was really, really good. Although the price was more than double that of the wines I used to drink, I thought it was worth the price. For a while, I drank only this incessantly. It was always the first thing I looked for at my favorite hypermarket, and I only tried others when it wasn't available. But one day, I bought a bottle of Marques that seemed no different from usual, but the aroma was strange. How should I put it... it had a strong stale smell. Looking at the cork, it wasn't cork taint (Bouchonné: wine spoilage caused by cork contamination). I don't know if the problem was with that specific bottle I bought or if my sense of smell had upgraded. Then, I watched a review of this wine on the Wine King YouTube channel, which I occasionally watch, and realized, ah, that's the smell of grass/vegetal notes. After that, I parted ways with this wine. Wine King is fun not only for the wine information but also for watching the banter between Wine King and his mentors, like watching a variety show. Highly recommended.

Among the wines I frequently drank during this period that are still decent are Marietta Armé and the popular Korean favorite 1865. There's also a Spanish wine, the only one I drank frequently, Faustino I Gran Reserva. I happened to try this wine when it was on sale, found it delicious, and bought it a few more times. I remember enjoying it even though it seemed slightly corked once. It's a Sangiovese grape variety. I, who originally liked full-bodied wines with strong tannins, started enjoying fruit aromas and acidity thanks to this wine. I believe it's in the 40,000 KRW range, but sometimes it's sold in the 20,000-30,000 KRW range during sales. I have some doubts about the 40,000 KRW price, but when it's on sale, I highly recommend it.

Faustino I Gran Reserva

Currently

Looking back, perhaps I was looking for characteristics similar to soju in wine. I felt anxious that if the strong stimulation like full body was missing, it would feel bland. So when buying wine, I mainly looked at the body description on the shelf tags. When I had trouble choosing between two, I picked the one with higher alcohol content.

One day, my taste completely changed due to a grape variety I encountered by chance. These were, by my standards, incredibly expensive wines: Mollydooker's Blue Eyed Boy and Two Hands' Bella's Garden. Both Mollydooker and Two Hands are Australian wineries. Bella's Garden is in the 80,000 KRW range, and Blue Eyed Boy is in the 70,000-80,000 KRW range. Both are Shiraz. I understand Shiraz is Australia's representative grape. As I learned more about wine, my preferences shifted, and after drinking these two wines, my taste changed completely. I began to enjoy rich fruit aromas more than a heavy body. The feeling described as "Fruity." From then on, body became secondary, and if it couldn't even properly support the fruit, I considered it a cheap taste.

When I first tried Bella's Garden at a company dinner, perhaps because I had it with good food (premium Korean beef), the overall experience was amazing. I just remembered the aroma was great and it was incredibly delicious. I thought I must buy it someday. After trying various other wines, including more expensive ones, and then buying Bella's Garden again with my own money, the thrill wasn't quite the same as the first time, but it was still good. I'll probably drink it occasionally in the future, but I don't think it offers great value for money. Two Hands' Angels' Share offers good value. Compared to Angels' Share, Bella's Garden has, how should I say, a slightly stronger density of flavor? You feel a bit more minerality too. A tightness? Anyway, it had something like that. But I couldn't consider it good value for money.

Bella's Garden

Price aside, the wine I rate highest is Mollydooker's Blue Eyed Boy. The name is cool, and the label is cool too.

Blue Eyed Boy

When I first drank Blue Eyed Boy, the exaggerated expressions from "Drops of God" from 10 years ago actually resonated with me. Should I say the taste has dimensionality? It felt like something exploded "BANG" from one side, and after a few seconds, another taste exploded "BANG" from another side. The taste is different when it touches the tongue and when it goes down the throat. As it went down my throat, a different, refined aroma rose up, distinct from the taste on the tongue. You know how in games, when you face a tough boss, there are different phases? It felt like that. Since it's not available in hypermarkets, I haven't been able to buy and drink it myself. I've drunk it twice, both times as gifts. I'm looking for a place to buy it at a reasonable price, but it seems hard to find. Apparently, it sells out quickly. It must be a really good wine.

Thanks to these two wines, my main focus shifted to the Shiraz grape. My psychological price resistance also doubled. Wines in the 40,000 KRW range became my mainstays. To cut to the chase, the wines I drink most often these days are Langmeil Valley Floor Shiraz and Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz.

Langmeil Valley Floor

Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna

Kalimna is slightly more expensive, but both are in the 40,000 KRW range at hypermarkets. I used to drink Valley Floor frequently until I met Kalimna. After drinking Kalimna, I don't really drink Valley Floor much anymore. Perhaps because Kalimna is a bit more expensive, it's better in many ways. It has a sparkling feeling due to its acidity and rich aroma. I usually stop by the hypermarket once a week and buy two or three bottles of wine, and I always start by grabbing a bottle of Kalimna. Langmeil's Orphan Bank was also incredibly good, but its price is almost double, so I can't drink it often, and at that price point, I'd want to try other wines. Compared to Bella's Garden at a similar price, I preferred Orphan Bank. If you've recently become interested in wine, I recommend Kalimna as your first wine (around 47,000 KRW at ET).

Summary of Main Wines

Having enjoyed wine like this for about 12 years, here are some recommendations for decent, realistically priced wines from my early days: This is entirely based on my personal preference, so your experience might differ, but at least you won't feel ripped off.

Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon (10,000 KRW range)
Jorio (20,000-30,000 KRW range)
Marietta Armé (20,000 KRW range)
Faustino I, Gran Reserva (30,000-40,000 KRW range)
Langmeil Valley Floor Shiraz (40,000 KRW range)
Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz (40,000 KRW range) >Highly Recommended<
Blue Eyed Boy (70,000-80,000 KRW range) >Highly Recommended<
Bella's Garden (80,000 KRW range)

Closing Remarks

Although I still don't know much about wine and don't particularly study it extensively, like a small hobby, it has now become a supportive presence in a corner of my life. As I get older, I sometimes think I should cut down on drinking, and sometimes I feel a reality check when I think about the cost, but the thrill of encountering a good wine and taking a sip makes all my fatigue melt away just thinking about it.

A little tip: wine prices are elastic. More expensive doesn't always mean better wine. I recommend always researching before buying. Just because there's a wine market doesn't mean everything is significantly cheaper. Often, wines are sold at similar prices even after the market ends. It's easy to get ripped off. Conversely, a wine you splurged on might become half price the next day when a wine market opens ㅜㅜ. The price of the same wine can vary greatly depending on the store. If you're starting out and don't want to be ripped off, starting with popular wines seems best. They are easy to find, and prices are similar everywhere. I hope you don't get tempted by discount stickers without any information. Avoid wines with discount stickers for no particular reason, especially if the vintage seems old. It's likely stock clearance.

Additionally, there's an app called Vivino. If you take a picture with the app, it recognizes the wine and gives you information about it, including ratings. This app is very helpful. Recommended.

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