Korean Wine Gains Confidence — Now Showcasing Variety by Grape
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
Korean wine quality has risen, moving beyond single-variety production to spotlight distinct grape types that express a uniquely Korean style. King Delaware (킹델라웨어) produces aromatic, sweet-medium rosés like Poem Rosé from Galgisan Winery. Wild mountain berry “sanmeoru” (산머루) — a thin-skinned, high‑sugar native fruit — is used widely and pairs well with Korean food; producers like Dukyu Winery and Hamiang Wine Valley make sanmeoru wines and blends. Muscat Bailey A (MBA) — a Japanese vinification grape often called a commercial muscat — yields light, clear wines with gentle sweetness and is blended with sanmeoru at some wineries. Campbell Early (캠벨얼리), long overlooked for low sugar, is seeing quality reinterpretations and blends that suit Korean cuisine, with notable examples from Dorawon, Audrin, Yemil and Geochang. Cheongsoo (청수), a white grape developed in Korea, is cold‑ and disease‑resistant and forms the basis of several domestic white wines, including those served at the recent APEC leaders’ dinner. Shine Muscat delivers tropical-fruit aromas and is being used from sparklings to ice wines. Overall, growing consumer interest has encouraged winemakers to experiment with many grape varieties, defining a clearer “Korean wine” identity.
