Germane wine for spicy Korean food

I am asked frequently what wines go best with Korean food. The answer is more complex than one might imagine. To match a wine with a spicy meal such as dakkalbi or kimchi chigae (kimchi stew), a sweeter white wine such as riesling, sauvignon blanc or gewürztraminer usually is recommended.

Spicy food + red wine = spicy food PWN'ed! (photo courtesy of Stock.Xchng)

Notice that two out of those three varieties are German. Thus it's germane to ask, "How in the world can I decipher the German wine labels? Do I need a German oma (grandmother) to translate the wine labels?" One planning to serve fine German wine with dakkalbi or bibimbap should read The German Wine Dictionary at the Wine Doctor site.

Another tip is avoid any wine that prides itself on being "bold" or "tannic." Korean food and "bold" wine literally will fight each other to the death in your mouth. Your palate will be the biggest loser in that contest.

Editor's note (March 26, 2011): The Snooth article which I had originally linked here is no longer available. I found an alternative site with the same information for your German wine research.  

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