For anyone who has read a few posts here on this blog, it is not news that my wife is Korean-American. Both of her parents were born in Korea, and they met after they both came to the U.S. to escape the Korean War. It should also be no surprise that I am currently in Korea, our first trip as a family to the country that means so much to my wife and her family.

In the days, weeks, months (and years) leading up to this maiden voyage to Korea for me and the two boys, I repeatedly was served up caveats by my mother-in-law, her brother, my wife’s sister, my wife, and the guy on the street corner who looked like he might be Belgian, that wine in Korea is 1) hard to come by, 2) very expensive, and 3) not very good at all.

What I found was pretty much contrary to those above assessments. Wine is relatively easy to find (they have some solid bottles in most convenience stores, although not much depth), the upper end wines are about the same price (or cheaper, thanks to a weak Korean Wan) as the U.S., and we found some really stellar wines while we were here.

But.

With one exception, all of our hotels had an executive lounge, of sorts, which offered up small plate kind of food and free wine for a few hours before dinner each day. There, at least one of the warnings held true–the wines were, for the most part, horrible. Really, really bad. Nonetheless, I tasted them all since, well, I have a penchant for self-punishment and they were so bad, I just had to tell someone (lucky you).

I apologize for the last few photos. Normally, I try to take pride in the pictures that end up on this blog but a) the wines were in a dispenser and b) if I asked for the servers to remove the bottle from the apparatus to take a photo, they might actually think I liked these wines and I was afraid of how that would affect my karma (a concept I was embracing since there are quite a few Buddhists in Korea).

NV Felix Solis Peñasol, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla, Spain: Retail $10? Airen, Viura. This was offered up at our hotel in the executive lounge and when I saw “infused carbonation”, I recoiled. No way in hades. But then I relented. How bad could it be? Well, pretty bad. Aromas of Seven-Up and, well, nothing else, this wine starts to disappoint before the first sip. Still hopeful (yeah, I know, I am an idiot), I venture in. And. Regret. It. Immediately. Woof. Yeah. This barely qualifies as “drinkable” and I hope it doesn’t kill me. It probably won’t. Probably. Hopefully. Blech. Below Average. 72 Points.

NV Baron Delaude Brut Prestige, Languedoc, France: Retail $8? Varietal composition? The information surrounding this wine is virtually non-existent; the only info I could find was in Korean, which is where I had this “wine”. After the first debacle in the Executive lounge in my hotel, I decided to double down and try the second sparkling wine on offer. Woof. This has a peculiar aroma, no, odor on the nose. Turpentine? I am really concerned that this will actually kill me. The palate is better than the first wine, but that is simply the lowest of all bars. I was pleasantly surprised that this wine did not taste like I was inadvertently ending my life but there was nothing really redeeming about it either. In fact, its singular best attribute is “wet”? Meh. If this is the “Prestige” version, I shudder at the concept of their “standard” blend. Below Average. 76 Points.

NV Bodegas Fernando Castro Ótalo, Spain: Retail? This was being served in the lounge of or hotel in Busan, right on the beach so I had to try it. I wish I hadn’t. This was in the wine dispenser in the lounge, so I could not get a look at the back label, so the only thing I could see was “Ótalo”, “Sauvignon Blanc”, and “Producto de España”. The only thing I could find online about this wine was on a Korean website, so I assume this was made exclusively for the Korean market? The website said it was made by Bodegas Fernando Castro, but I really have no idea. I do know it was bad. Maybe worse. Almost completely clear in the glass with and odd kiwi nose and a touch of a medicinal aspect that had me worried. My concern was pretty much justified on the palate as this is odd, in a I-think-I-would-rather-have-beer kind of way. “Wet” is, again, its only positive attribute as this tastes nothing like a SB, it’s astringent, lacking fruit, and otherwise incredibly bland. Not a Yuck, but pass me the Bud Light instead, it at least claims to have some taste. Below Average. 78 Points.

2024 MontGras Chardonnay Day One, Leyda Valley, Chile: After my experience with the Ótalo SB, I decide to ditch it and draw a glass of the Chard from the dispenser in our lounge hotel, on the beach in Busan, South Korea. I cross my fingers. I say a prayer. I hold my breath. Slightly darker than a pale straw in the glass, and the nose comes close to resembling something that might be confused for a Chardonnay. A smidge of tree fruit and a hint of oak, but I am not getting my hopes up. The palate confirms my hesitancy. This is bad, almost on the I-fear-for-my-life kind of bad. Astringent, overly acidic, with an overwhelming this-has-to-be-fake kind a vibe and, well, if it wasn’t clear up to this point, it is pretty awful. Is it worse than the sparkling? Maybe. And that is saying something. Below Average. 71 Points.

NV Bodegas Fernando Castro Ótalo, Spain: For some stupid reason, after tasting the two still whites that were available in the lounge, I decided it was a good idea to try the reds. Yes. I need help. To make matters worse, I did not realize it until I had already poured this wine, but it was the same producer that made the Sauvignon Blanc that had me fearing for my life. I still decided I should try this one. What a dope I am. Well, this Syrah has a medium color and an over-extracted nose. It just smells like a spicy raspberry extract, which is not a good thing. The palate has some spice, I guess? But it is rather thin and the fruit is, well, MIA. The funny thing is that this is much more palatable than either of the whites, but then so is motor oil. And maybe kerosene. Below Average. 79 Points.

2024 Estancia del Alto Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva Especial, Central Valley, Chile: And we are finally at the final “free” wine in the Marriott Lounge in Busan, South Korea, this Chilean Cabernet. Another wine that really does not exist on the internet (other than some Korean sites), but at this point I was willing to champion any wine that wasn’t completely horrible (by the way, I consider wines in the 70 Point range to be completely horrible, in order to “earn” a score below 70, there needs to be legitimate fear for my own life and considerable hazard pay). Right off the bat, this smells like, well, a Cabernet. Off to a roaring start! Black and red fruit, an herbal note (basil?), and a smattering of black pepper. The palate continues on this somewhat glorious path (certainly when compared to the others), with flavors that resemble fruit (although not a ton of it), some acidity and spice, and a flinty aspect that, well, did not fit and brought me back down to earth. It’s not great, but it is the best in the room. By far. And that will have to do. Good. 83 Points.