Yangchon Winery in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, said on the 13th that its fruit wine "Chusi Gyeol" won the grand prize in the Korea wine institutional sector at the 2026 Korea Wine & Spirits Awards.
The Korea Wine & Spirits Awards is Korea's leading liquor competition, now in its 13th year. With the goal of "discovering and promoting good domestic drinks and supporting the formation of a sound drinking culture," ChosunBiz has held it annually since 2014.
This year's event drew entries of 1,118 brands from 260 companies. It is the largest among domestic competitions that cover all categories of liquor. Of these, 449 brands won the grand prize.
The award-winning "Chusi Gyeol" is a product created by Yangchon Winery based on 18 years of experience brewing with persimmons. The product name "Gyeol" means the traces that remain in the flow of time, like wood grain or ripples. It carries the intention to capture in the drink the time and production philosophy the brewery has accumulated over many years.
Yangchon Winery views persimmons as one of the fruits most closely connected to Korean sentiment and placed them at the center of the product identity. "Chusi Gyeol" is characterized by using three ingredients: a fermented drink brewed from fully ripened persimmons, a distilled persimmon concentrate, and fire-roasted dried persimmons (gotgam).
During judging, its flavor, differentiated from conventional fruit wines, drew attention. By steeping fire-roasted dried persimmons in the distilled spirit, it achieved a subtle sweetness and caramel aroma, and the finish was evaluated as having added nuances in the bitter coffee family. In addition, it was matured at ambient temperatures through Korea's four seasons without artificial temperature control, enhancing structure and acidity.
Yangchon Winery interprets this drink not simply by conforming to Western winemaking methods but through the Korean traditional concept of "gwahaju." Gwahaju is a traditional method in which soju is added to yakju to prevent spoilage even in summer. On top of this, dried persimmons were combined to emphasize the characteristics of Korean ingredients and methods, the winery said. The alcohol content is 21%.
Seo Yong-won, head of Yangchon Winery, said, "This award recognizes the long process of brewing with persimmons," adding, "We will continue to present drinks that embody the ingredients and time of our land."