Sinsa Station wine bar with a Pétrus cellar and chop steak: Luna Vine

Sometimes I just want a glass of wine and a good food pairing, so I went looking for a wine bar restaurant in Gangnam and ended up at Luna Vine. There are tons of wines, so if you love wine you can enjoy it in a lovely space, and the dining menu (pasta, steak and more) is delicious too. It's a Gangnam wine bar restaurant I'd happily go back to.

Where is Luna Vine, and is there parking?

Luna Vine is a wine bar and restaurant at 13 Nonhyeon-ro 149-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (Yejin Building, 1st floor), about a 10-minute walk from Sinsa Station. It has terrace seats, an indoor hall and private rooms, and valet parking is available.

The exterior with its eye-catching purple awning

A purple awning wraps the front of the building, and a banner at the entrance shows the signature dishes and wines, so you get a sense of the restaurant's mood before you even step inside.

What's the interior and seating like?

The interior blends wood and black tones, calm yet with that moody wine bar feel. A large wooden table sits in the middle, which looks great for group gatherings or company dinners, and there are roomy tables for 2–4 people here and there for a comfortable meal.

Big glass windows make it feel open: bright and relaxed by day, and I imagine even more atmospheric wine-bar vibes in the evening. There's also terrace seating, which would be lovely for a leisurely glass of wine in cool weather.

Go further in and you reach an even cozier private space. The green plant wall and wooden tables felt like a little garden, and it's nicely separated from the other tables, so it looks perfect for taking your time.

What whisky does Luna Vine have?

This Gangnam wine bar restaurant has not only wine but also a range of whiskies and other premium spirits.

Familiar premium whiskies like Balvenie, Macallan and Johnnie Walker Blue Label are neatly displayed, so I think it would satisfy anyone who loves a drink.

They're displayed under fancy lighting, like looking at a gallery~

What wines are in the Luna Vine cellar?

The cellar holds world-famous premium wines such as Château Latour, Château Margaux, Dom Pérignon and Armand de Brignac. Wine lovers will have heard of these at least once, which made me trust the selection more and showed real passion for wine. (I just can't drink them because they're expensive... haha)

As I kept browsing the cellar, it was full of wines I love. Pétrus, Grands Échezeaux, Les Forts de Latour, and Spain's prestigious Unico 2013 — premium wines that get you excited just by name — filled the cellar. The lineup is broad, from red and white to champagne, which is a big plus for choice.

You can meet wines from many countries and producers in one place, so wine fans would be satisfied just by looking around. I hear they sell them too, so keep that in mind~

There are glasses prepared for each type: red, white, sparkling and so on. You can feel the care put into wine. Even just the neatly arranged glasses give the impression of a professional wine bar, and I liked that they sweat the small details.

Luna Vine's menu and the prices of what we ordered

Here's what we ordered at Luna Vine.

• Truffle rigatoni · ₩25,000
• Chop steak · ₩59,000
• House red wine · ₩10,000
• House white wine · ₩10,000

How does Luna Vine's chop steak (₩59,000) taste?

The chop steak I ordered as the main comes with bite-sized pieces of beef plus a variety of vegetables: asparagus, bok choy, mushrooms, bell pepper and potato.

The beef was tender and moist with the juices intact, and the savory, umami-rich sauce went well with it. Delicious!

The vegetables were still crunchy, so eating them with the meat felt nicely balanced, and the dish pairs really well with wine.

Is Luna Vine's truffle rigatoni (₩25,000) too heavy?

As soon as the truffle rigatoni hit the table, I noticed the subtle truffle aroma and the nutty flavor of cheese first. Cheese is grated along the rim of the plate too, so the plating was pretty.

The rigatoni tubes are hollow, so they soak up plenty of the rich cream sauce, and every bite had nutty cream and truffle aroma. So good!

The cream sauce is thick but not heavy, and I enjoyed it to the last bite without getting tired of it. If it does start to feel rich, just have the pickles that came with it.

Do the ₩10,000 house wines go well with the food?

The house red and house white are ₩10,000 each; the red went well with the chop steak and the white with the truffle rigatoni. Time to eat with a glass of wine, right~

I tried the house red first. The staff said it's Italian; it had a subtle fruity aroma from the first sniff, and a sip was weighty with depth. Moderate body and soft tannins made it easy to drink, and it paired wonderfully with the steak. Hard to believe it's a house wine, it was that satisfying.

The house white is Sauvignon Blanc. A fresh citrus aroma spreads pleasantly, and the crisp acidity freshens the whole mouth. The clean finish kept me reaching for more, and it surprisingly worked well with the creamy truffle rigatoni. If you like light, fresh styles, you'll probably be happy with it.

Both dishes went really well with the wine, and food and wine brought out each other's flavors, so I enjoyed it down to the last bite.

Luna Vine has been around 23 years: who is it good for?

The owner told us Luna Vine has held its spot for 23 years and has many regulars. I was satisfied to the end with the harmony of tasty food and wine in a nice setting. Even in these times when the restaurant business isn't easy, it was impressive that it has been steadily loved for so long, and after visiting myself, I could naturally see why regulars have loved it all these years.

I'd like to come back on special days, or whenever I want a nice meal with someone precious. With its soft lighting and moody atmosphere, it seems right for dates and anniversaries, blind dates and get-togethers. If you want a glass of wine and a special time in a quiet, relaxed space, I recommend Luna Vine, a Gangnam wine bar restaurant :)