Skip the Beer: Tempranillo Wine Pairs Well with Yangnyeom Chicken
Creatrip Team
25 days ago
Korean-style sauced fried chicken (yangnyeom chicken) is best paired with a medium-bodied red wine rather than beer. The sweet-spicy sauce has moderate heat and sweetness, so avoid high-acidity whites or heavy, tannic reds like Cabernet Sauvignon. A mid-acidity, mid-tannin Tempranillo (from Rioja) complements the sauce’s cherry/plum fruit and savory notes. Affordable pick: The Guvnor (Felix Solis), a Tempranillo-Syrah blend widely available in Korean convenience stores and supermarkets for around 15,000 KRW; it scores about 4.0 on Vivino, placing it among the top-rated wines. For plain fried chicken, sparkling wines such as Spanish Cava work well because the bubbles cut oil and refresh the palate. The advice comes from wine-pairing expert Lee Young-ji of “Wicked Wife.”
