Casa del Vino is a wine bar that has been running in Cheongdam-dong for a long time. Staying open that long is no easy thing, so it’s pretty impressive. This time I went because there was a Blue Ribbon 20th anniversary event.

This is the place..

That is a serious number of Blue Ribbons..

Today’s menu

I can’t remember everything on a menu while I’m drinking, so these days I tend to photograph it. That night Casa del Vino was doing a collaboration event with Bar Cham. Bar Cham is famous for having a queue even though it’s a bar, but for this event you could book instead of lining up, which was lucky. Wine-based cocktails especially aren’t something you get to drink easily, so if you miss a chance like this, who knows when the next one comes around.

Bread to start

A simple start.

CheongNyang Refresh

Seonbi gin, fino sherry, fig leaf soda. Korean medicinal herbs from Gyeongdong Market + Ruinart

Just as the name suggests – Gyeongdong Market in Cheongnyangni, plus cheongnyang (“refreshing”) and refresh – it’s a crisp cocktail carried by a fig aroma that drifts up gently. First surprise: it’s the leaves, not the fruit, that smell of fig. Second surprise: Ruinart works in a cocktail. A seasonal drink that would be perfect in late summer.

Beef tart & tuna tart

Good as a starter. I’d assumed this was an ordinary wine bar, so the care that went into the food surprised me. That kind of attention to detail may well be the secret to lasting this long.

A glass of wine

They were especially generous with the wine that night.

Tea Punch

A white wine based cocktail with Martin Miller’s gin infused with Hwasin rock tea and chilli leaves, homemade kombucha, lemon, DMZ honey and Chardonnay.

Maybe it was the chilli leaves, but it tasted of autumn – a little spicy and quietly sweet. Like having a drink while watching chillies dry in the autumn sun.

Mushroom and shrimp balls

Well seasoned with a decent amount of protein in it, which made it a good match for wine.

Cocktail show

Quite the spectacle. Everyone loved it..

Beef short rib steak + burdock sauce gnocchi

The steak was cooked perfectly. Wine bar means red wine and steak, so I had expectations, and it went beyond them.

Olive oil

Apparently an olive oil they bought in Italy themselves, and it was delicious.

Jeju Negroni

Gosori-sul (Jeju’s traditional distilled spirit) infused with citrus peel and Solomon’s seal root, Italian bitter, sweet vermouth + Pinot Noir

It’s a Negroni, but there’s no Campari in it, and it made me realise that Pinot Noir and Jeju gosori-sul can stand in for Campari in such a refined, elegant way. If you love a Negroni this is one you have to try, and it was the most satisfying cocktail of the night.

Songpyeon

It doesn’t show well in the photo, but there was a chocolate shaped like a songpyeon (the half-moon rice cake eaten at Chuseok) inside. Tasting it surprised me – I really don’t know how a cocktail ends up tasting of songpyeon. It brought back the mood of Chuseok, a glass that suited autumn perfectly. The best possible way to close a cocktail course themed on autumn and wine.

What surprised me on this visit was that I had no idea Korean cocktails had come this far (they were good before, but they’ve got better..), and since Cham always has such a long wait I’d assumed I’d never get there. Getting a chance like this to taste bartender Lim Byung-jin’s cocktails – Korean in character yet inventive – made it a great experience.

Tiramisu

A properly Italian dessert to finish.

The chefs who cooked that night

Seems like being handsome and ripped has become part of the job requirements for chefs these days. The mood was great. The food was good too, and it stayed warm and friendly right to the end. Glad I got to be at something like this.

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