Date Night at Vino Suave Wine Bar

There is a new wine bar in town and its called Vino Suave. It’s only been open for a little under two weeks and according to the owner, it has changed its menu twice. So expect some growing pains. The wine bar is cozy, with only 4-5 tables and a few seats at the bar. In a country where soju reigns supreme, the addition of a wine bar is a welcome sight to this “wino”. So tonight it’s date night at Vino Suave Wine Bar.

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Date Night at Vino Suave
Enjoy the Port

Located just outside of the Camp George, Vino Suave opened its doors to the Daegu community on October 31st. The decor at Vino Suave is polished Dark brown cement floors, exposed brick, and industrial lighting. Creates a pretty and intimate place to enjoy port, wine, beer. There is a limited, but interesting, food menu. Pictures of bicycles, wire-framed Eiffel Towers, and hand mirrors can be found all over. Jueng Gi Hong handed us the leather-bound menu. We chose two glasses of Montepulciano Abruzzo, medium-bodied red wine from the Tuscany region of Italy. It’s one of my favorites.

Did you know that soju is the most popular alcoholic beverage sold in the entire world?

However, soju isn’t just being consumed in South Korea. Soju is sold in more than 80 countries and outsells second place vodka, 2-1 according to the Guardian. 

Wine is Expensive in South Korea
By the Bottle or the Glass

Each glass was 12,000 Won for a bottle that would have gone for 54,000 Won. You may know that wine has a seriously high markup in the restaurant, but here in South Korea, it’s almost criminal. Most restauranteurs get their money back with the first glass sold out of each bottle, so it wouldn’t be inconceivable that that bottle costs approximately 10,000 Won or less. I suggest you find a seat and head directly to the back room where the owner stores a selection of wines bought by the bottle. Most of the wines are from Italy, France, and Spain and are priced from 12,000 to 60,000, but there are also a few that are twice that.

Are you looking for another date night adventure, check out Blue Chicago Jazz Club.

Date Night in Daegu

The plan wasn’t to spend an evening in Vino Suave, we just wanted to check it out. But if I had planned to spend more than an hour, we would have selected a nice bottle that went for 24,000 Won instead. The food ranges from a cheese plate to something called Lost Clam Butter or something Jueng called Pot Shrimp served on, I think, a bed of spinach. I think Vino Suave is a good option for a date night in Daegu.

Lost in Translation

Well, the clam butter ended up being scallops with grilled asparagus and orange slices. They were a bit chewy but edible. The wine we selected was delicious, although it could have been more. Once again, we were astonished at the extremely light pour. The menu was heavily tilted towards port wines, something else that when you think about it shouldn’t be surprising. Koreans love sweet wines. When I moved into our apartment a neighbor brought me a wine made with Concord grapes that were so sweet, the thought makes my teeth hurt to this day.

 

Wine Room

There is also a nice selection of wine in the storeroom at the back of the restaurant. As well as a small patio lined with beer bottles. That’s also where you’ll find the toilets.

 

Port Wine and Chocolate

“Do you like Port”, Jung asked. Uh, yeah! I love port. Port wine gets its name from Porto Portugal. It’s a region in northern Portugal famous for sweet wine. Known for its high alcohol content and smooth, velvety texture. It’s meant to be sipped like a fine cognac or brandy. But most importantly, it’s delicious as an after-dinner aperitif, especially with chocolate.

So he poured us two glasses. Rolling the glass on its side as the silky smooth liquid warmed up and loosened a bit. It was delicious, made even better with his home-made port chocolate. Oh, my goodness. Both were worth getting dressed up tonight. Afterward, we had settled in for what turned out to be a great date night in Daegu.