Seomjin Byol

Alc. 8% · 750ml · Seomjinspring · Gwangyang · Korea

pale gold · ripe Korean apricot · yuja citrus · fine bead · dry

Ingredient: Korean apricot (maesil), Korean pear, yuja, sugar
Guideline: aperitif
Pairing: seafood, poultry, fresh goat cheese

Seomjin Byol (섬진강의 별) means "star of the Seomjin". In Gwangyang, at Korea's southernmost point, the maesil is left on the branch until it turns golden and soft — then it tastes of apricot, not of the hard green plum picked in Korea in early summer. Yuja and Korean pear set citrus and sweetness against it.

The wine is fermented in tank by the Charmat method and rests there for at least ten months. The orchards stand on river-facing slopes that catch the reflected light of the Seomjin, at 34.9° north — the latitude of Crete. The result is dry, finely beaded and carried by a fruit found in no European sparkling wine.