“Korean Home Cooking Wine Party” & “Chilean Wine Wine Party”
Reprint Edition “Seihachi’s Chiritotechin” No. 95
“Korean Home Cooking Wine Party” (2010.4.25)
This is Seihachi.
I was able to hold the 26th “Waiwai Wine Party,” which I have been hosting at my home three or four times a year, on April 17th. The theme this time was a collaboration between Bordeaux red wine and Korean cuisine. In this column, I have reported on restaurants and cuisine in Seoul several times. I have never entered or sampled food at yakiniku restaurants or galbi specialty shops, either in Japan or in Seoul. This was because I have never liked yakiniku, and I personally doubted that yakiniku was a dish that represented Korea. As Korean historical dramas began to be broadcast on television every year, I became interested in authentic Korean cuisine through the cooking and dining scenes, and I drifted further and further away from yakiniku. Last October, I couldn't forget the taste of “Gamjatang (potato and pork backbone stew)” that I had at “Koya-an” in Akasaka-mitsuke, Tokyo, so I asked the mother at the Korean home-style restaurant “Namiseon” in Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture, to send it via cool delivery service so I could try it, which I wrote about in issue 92 of this column. Regarding the pairing with Bordeaux red wine this time, there were certain circumstances.
Actually, there was a set of six Bordeaux wines among the return gifts for my niece's wedding, and in the interest of saving money, I thought I would put them to good use. Another reason was that the junior from “Sakamoto Liquor Store” in Takayama City, who always selects and sends me wine, was away on a long-term business trip to Chile for wine research and geological study at the request of a certain wine magazine. This Mr. Yuichi Sakamoto is the person who was asked to supervise the translation of “Terroir: French Wine Carved into the History of the Earth (Vinothèque),” which is being published this month (Image 1), and made it a reality.
Because of that, since they were gift red wines, I didn't have high expectations, and I was anxious because I had never tasted them before, but I gave them a try.
1. Bordeaux Chateau Haute Brande 2007 (Image 2)
*Last year, when I stayed in Bordeaux during a chateau tour, it was on the 4-euro shelf at a supermarket.
2. Bordeaux Chateau La Carbonniere 2007 (Image 3)
3. Cotes de Bourg Chateau Les Hermats 2006 (Image 4)
*Cotes de Bourg had a darker, purplish color than red, and had the scent of ripened fruit.
4. Bordeaux Superieur Chateau Margerots 2001
5. Bordeaux Superieur Chateau La Roudier 2000 (Image 5)
*Bordeaux Superieur is selected from grapes from old vines, and it contained aromas of cassis, wild strawberries, and violets, giving it a very elegant atmosphere.
6. Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux Chateau Materre 2004
*Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux is made from grapes on steep, sun-drenched slopes, so it was semi-sweet and had scents of citrus, quince, and peach.
I think these six bottles are table wines in Bordeaux. They are probably around 4 to 7 euros, a level where you can enjoy wine every day. There was no particular astringency, and they didn't have the heaviness that goes with meat dishes or game, so I felt they were at a level of deliciousness and price that is truly suited for Japanese people. Many French restaurants and wine bars in large cities offer very heavy, strong wines, but I took the liberty of judging that wines like these are just right for Japanese people in order to popularize wine and dishes paired with wine more.
By the way, here are the snacks for this time.
1. Gamjatang (stewed potatoes and pork back meat) (Image 6)
*I was told it would be delicious with Chinese cabbage and mushrooms, so I added shimeji mushrooms. For the finish, we made rice porridge by adding rice to the remaining soup.
2. Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup) (Image 7)
*Since there were people who couldn't eat the whole chicken, I shredded the meat and separated the soup, which was very well received.
3. Konago (sand lance) tempura and cabbage salad (Image 9)
4. Steamed clams with sake
5. Kakuteki (cubed radish kimchi)
6. Wakatake-ni (simmered young bamboo shoots and wakame)
Since it was Korean home cooking, I also prepared “Idong Makgeolli (Image 9)”.
It was content that might make you scold me, asking where the collaboration between Korean home cooking and Bordeaux wine was, but table wine and home cooking—this is the atmosphere of the “Waiwai Wine Party.” Thank you for your hard work.
“Chilean Wine Wine Party” (2010.6.16)
This is Seihachi.
I was able to hold the 27th “Waiwai Wine Party,” which I have been hosting at my home three or four times a year, on May 22nd. The theme this time was a collaboration between Hida French and Chilean wine. Actually, for the past few years, the standard wine for my evening drinks at home has been the Chilean wine paper pack “Monte Sur Red.” Price is the biggest reason, but I have been drinking it because I feel the balance of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot is very good.
Also, I have often stopped by local supermarkets during my Okinawa tours so far, and I was interested in the fact that there were many Chilean wines in the wine section, and in their price and variety. I received information that the junior from Sakamoto Liquor Store in Takayama City, whom I always ask for wine for my wine parties, was going to Chile for a training trip at the request of a certain magazine. This was after that big earthquake. I was very much looking forward to his wine report after returning to Japan, including emails from the local area. So, I asked for a wine party at Sakamoto Liquor Store, but it didn't work out, so I was introduced to a pension in the Suzuran Highlands, and the “Pension Waiwai Wine Party” became a reality. The members are hiking buddies, so we walked about 8 kilometers on the “Hida Takumi no Michi (Image 1)” in Mt. Kurai, Takayama City, and it became our first stay at a pension and a wine seminar. There were 13 participants.
First, here is some basic information about Chilean wine. Was Chile suitable for wine grapes and winemaking? I studied this after I actually started drinking Chilean wine, and it turns out it is a land with an extremely favorable environment. The region called the Central Valley, which stretches between 30 and 40 degrees south latitude, has a Mediterranean climate with four distinct seasons. However, it is characterized by long, dry summers with very little rainfall, and a temperature difference of nearly 20 degrees between day and night, making it an ideal environment for grape cultivation. Surrounded by the Andes Mountains to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Patagonia glaciers to the south, and the Atacama Desert to the north, the country is geographically isolated, creating soil that is resistant to the intrusion of pests and diseases. Reading the history of winemaking in Chile, in the mid-19th century, the phylloxera pest, which eats grapevines, broke out in many European countries, causing devastating damage. Winemakers who lost their jobs in their home countries moved to the New World, which triggered a significant improvement in the quality level of the manufacturing process. Even today, it is the only country in the world that has not suffered from this phylloxera damage, so it can be said to be a sanctuary-like production area where varieties that disappeared in Europe 150 years ago are still cultivated from generation to generation.
Now, for the seven types of Chilean wine this time. From sparkling to dessert wines, they were all experiences I had for the first time. The above information was taught to us by the lecturer, Mr. Yuichi Sakamoto (Image 2).
The menu for the day.
1. Hida beef soboro (minced meat) fresh spring rolls (Image 4)
2. Hors d'oeuvres (Image 5)
3. Grilled tofu with butterbur miso and chopped bracken
4. Homemade smoked cheese and Kiyomi-cho wild boar
5. Boiled watercress
6. Temari sushi with koshia-bura (five-leaf aralia) and smoked salmon
7. Koshia-bura tsukudani (simmered in soy sauce)
8. Homemade bacon and assorted vegetable soup (Image 6)
9. Amago trout fritter topped with wild vegetables (mountain udo, koshia-bura, tara buds, azuki greens) (Image 7)
10. Beef fillet with red wine sauce and assorted vegetables (Image 8)
11. Freshly baked Earl Grey pudding
12. Coffee
This time, in addition to the above course, Mr. Sakamoto from Sakamoto Liquor Store brought three types of cheese for us.
It was a sheep cheese called Tête de Moine, which is apparently eaten by shaving it into petal shapes. Moreover, he even prepared baguettes from Train Bleu in Takayama. (Image 9)
Chef Naruse of Train Bleu is a talented individual who placed third in the world at the Bakery World Cup 'Coupe du Monde', and he is the mentor of Boulangerie Casse-Tête in Tomitsuka, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City.
This time, the plan was to stay at the pension 'YESNO' on the Suzuran Plateau and have a wine party, and it was a night I was very satisfied with, as the food prepared matched every wine. The next day, it rained from the morning, and we went sightseeing in Takayama with umbrellas, but we moved early and ended up having a daytime wine party with wild vegetables and cheese at Sakamoto Liquor Store, which also served as lunch. I am sorry to our driver. I hope to continue this annual overnight 'Waiwai Wine Party' forever.
Ancient Artisan Road
https://www.gero-spa.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/takuminomiti.pdf
Pension YESNO
https;//www.hidatakayama.or.jp/stay/detail_4305.html
Sakamoto Liquor Store https://www.waiwai-wine.com