Kimcheon Sanmeoru Wine Wins Presidential Award ... Grand Prize Goes to Gyeongsan Jujube Yakju

Korea Traditional Liquor Competition

At the ‘2023 Korea Traditional Liquor Competition,’ ‘Crater Medium Dry’ from Sudosan Winery in Gimcheon, Gyeongbuk, won the Presidential Award, and ‘Chu,’ a jujube medicinal rice wine from Misongjuga in Gyeongsan, received the Grand Prize.

Held annually since 2010 under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Korea Traditional Liquor Competition is a nationally certified liquor competition. This year, out of 286 products submitted by 199 breweries across five categories (takju, yak-cheongju, fruit wine, distilled spirits, and other liquors), 15 products were finally selected after rigorous evaluation by experts.

This year’s highest honor, the Presidential Award, was given to ‘Crater Medium Dry’ from Sudosan Winery in Gimcheon (CEO Baek Seung-hyun). This wine is made by organically cultivating wild grapes at an altitude of 1,317 meters in Gimcheon’s pristine environment. The winery representative’s continuous efforts to improve quality have been recognized for producing excellent taste and rich aroma.

Additionally, Baek Seung-hyun, CEO of Sudosan Winery, is a master brewer who won grand prizes at the Korea Liquor Awards and the Korea Traditional Liquor Competition in 2021 and 2022.

The Grand Prize winner, ‘Chu,’ a jujube medicinal rice wine from Misongjuga in Gyeongsan (CEO Kwon Mi-song), is a purely fermented liquor made using Gyeongsan’s specialty jujubes and glutinous rice. It was praised for its subtle jujube aroma and clean texture.

In particular, the Presidential Award is selected through a separate evaluation of the breweries and products among the first-place winners in the five categories, certifying it as the ‘Best Of Best,’ which greatly enhances its value.

The award-winning products will receive prize money of 10 million KRW for the Presidential Award and 3 million KRW for the Grand Prize (aT President’s Award), along with various government-supported benefits such as tasting events with invited distributors before the Chuseok holiday, support for entry into bottle shops, and online promotion.

The awards ceremony will be held at the opening ceremony of the ‘2023 Korea Traditional Liquor Festival’ on November 24 at the Seoul aT Center.

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, said, “It is an honor and a grateful occasion that the craftsmanship of our local liquor artisans in the era of regional autonomy has been recognized nationwide with the highest award.” He added, “As part of the major transformation of the agricultural and food processing industry, Gyeongbuk Province will do its best to revitalize the liquor industry as a leader in producing premium liquors.”