Jejusaemju

Rice winery, Jeju, KR

On the volcanic island of Jeju, rice wines are made that could exist nowhere else: Nimome, a rice wine with Jeju mandarins, the name means “in your heart” in the island dialect, and Omegisul, the island’s old millet-wine tradition. It arose because wet rice could hardly be grown on porous volcanic rock: Jeju brewed with millet, and developed a rice wine and soju culture entirely its own.

Inspired by Oktoberfest

The founding idea came, of all places, from Germany: a visit to Oktoberfest left a lasting impression: people celebrating their regional drink together, openly and with joy. Exactly this healthy, convivial drinking culture was to be created on Jeju for the island’s traditional rice wine. Today Jejusaemju is more than a brewery: a place of encounter, with tours, tastings and brewing classes that keep Jeju’s heritage alive for locals and visitors alike.

Jeju

the island of mandarins

Jeju is Korea’s warmest region and the citrus heart of the country. Mineral-rich volcanic soil and a mild climate produce mandarins of high sweetness and lively acidity, famous nationwide and protected by geographical indication. Then there is the island’s water: filtered through basalt, soft and round. Sun, soil and water, Jeju’s character can be tasted in every glass.

Growing their
own mandarins

Quality begins in the orchard: Jejusaemju grows its own mandarins. The house decides when to harvest and which fruit to use: only fully ripened mandarins go into the rice wine, peel and juice alike. This control over the whole journey from fruit to bottle is the secret of Nimome’s unwavering freshness.

Jejusaem

Soju Halle
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