[Dan Ellis on Wine]Smart wine buys at E-mart near you

Living outside of Seoul seriously limits your choices when it comes to buying wine. Dedicated wine shops tend to charge prices that even I balk at, and, as the selection at local convenience stores is not showing signs of improving any time soon, it is still very much a range that scrapes the bottom of the barrel, be that barrel French or, more likely, American oak.

Living in one of Seoul`s satellite cities, I have faced my struggles in the past -- the arduous schlep into the capital, or the over-priced specialist shops with a narrow set of choices. Well, apparently fortune favors the brave, and everything comes to those who wait, and, while I may not be the bravest, I have waited and this weekend saw the opening of an E-Mart in my own backyard.

There is no room here to discuss the pros and cons of supermarket wine selections, but it is fair to say that E-Mart has improved the choices in my city markedly. Selflessly, I braved the opening weekend hordes and took home and tasted four wines that ranged from the poor to the excellent.

Let`s start with the poor: Little Penguin South Eastern Australian Chardonnay is a wine meant to appeal to the masses. At 15,000 won ($15), with a modern label adorned with penguins, it is quite an appealing bottle to pick up. Also, this can be an over-the-top, ripe fruit and vanilla treat every now and then. This wine does indeed have a ripe nose of melon and citrus, with an oak influence that has a lot of off-notes. It is fairly smooth because of the amount of residual sugar in it -- no doubt, to hide all the faults in this wine. There is some tropical fruit, and if your mission is to get drunk, it might do the job, but it is very difficult to recommend.

Far superior is the Laroche Viognier 2006 from France, a Vins de Pay D`OC wine at 12,000 won, which is a superb value. Viognier is a grape which presents problems in terms of getting the ripeness of fruit in balance with the alcohol. No problems here, though, with this extremely fragrant wine and its touch of minerality. There is a real soft-fruit quality, with apricot predominating, and some hints of flower notes. The palate is juicy but not too opulent and it has a delicious liquorice finish. Fantastic value.

On to the reds and probably the cheapest wine I have ever bought here. The Tierra del Sol 2006 from Spain is a wine made from tempranillo, the grape of Rioja. At 4,900 won, it has to be tried. It is pretty pale in the glass and has a fairly unripe nose of cranberry and red cherry, with vanilla emanating quite distinctly. This is a very light-bodied red, and can definitely be chilled. With red fruit and vanilla, it is simple and drinkable. Certainly, it is nothing to get excited about, but for the price and after being slightly chilled, it is worth a punt.

Finally, we have The Stump Jump 2006, a blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre from the McLaren Vale region. At just under 16,000 won, this is a cracking buy with a fantastic warm, fruity nose and a touch of spice. It is one of those welcoming wines that you just want to glug down. It has a really rounded-mouth feel, with soft tannins and good length. There is a touch of tobacco, but this is a fruit story with juicy blueberry and black cherry; it`s a fantastic glass of wine. Recommended.



Dan can be reached at his website at wine-inkorea.blogspot.com - Ed.



Dan Ellis on Wine