[Gu Eun-mo's Sake Story] The Elegance of Our Long-Aged Meoru Wine

<4> Paju 'Sanmeoru Farm'①

Started cultivating Sanmeoru crops in Paju in 1979
Expanded into brewing at the farm to secure a stable income source
In 2006, recognized the need for products matching the top-quality Sanmeoru cultivation
Differentiated with 'Meoru de Seo,' aged over 10 years in oak barrels for long-term maturation

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Sareori Sareoriratda, living in Cheongsan, Sareoriratda, eating wild grapes (meoru) and wild kiwi, living in Cheongsan Sareoriratda

Meoru (wild grapes) has long been a common mountain berry found throughout our land. It is a familiar wild fruit easily seen in Korea's mountains and fields, appearing alongside wild kiwi in the Goryeo-era folk song "Cheongsanbyeolgok (靑山別曲)." In times when food was scarce, meoru was widely used as a famine-relief crop to overcome the barley hump period.

Although meoru has taken root in this land for a long time, its history as a commercially cultivated crop is not very long. When Mr. Woo-seok Seo, founder of Sanmeoru Farm, first moved to Paju, Gyeonggi Province in 1979, meoru was still a wild fruit growing in the mountains. Originally from Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Mr. Seo moved to Paju after marriage and worked raising goats. While grazing goats on Gamaksan Mountain behind the village and climbing the mountain daily, one day he noticed a tree full of fruit. It was a wild meoru tree. Seeing the clusters of wild meoru, he suddenly thought about transplanting it to a field to cultivate. From then on, he selected trees that bore good fruit and transplanted them to a field the following spring.

However, after two and three years passed, there was no news. The transplanted meoru trees in the field did not bear the awaited fruit, and Mr. Seo grew anxious. Just when he thought it was a failure, news came from Namyangju about the development of improved meoru varieties. He immediately rode his motorcycle to the site and found the answer there.

Meoru, like ginkgo trees, has separate male and female plants. It was natural that the meoru trees in his field did not bear fruit because he had only transplanted female trees that bore fruit well. On the spot, he purchased 1,500 improved meoru saplings that had both male and female plants on one tree and planted them on 1,500 pyeong (approximately 4,958 square meters). After several trials and errors, he established meoru cultivation techniques and actively promoted them to farmers. He was also the one who supplied saplings to places like Muju, which has the highest meoru production in Korea.

Accidentally Stepping into Wine Brewing While Seeking a Stable Income Source... "From Farm to Winery"

He began making alcohol from meoru when he established a processing factory in 1995. Initially, he did not intend to brew alcohol from meoru. Feeling the need for a stable income source due to unstable agricultural product prices every year, he thought meoru juice could be an alternative. He submitted a business plan to Paju County for establishing a meoru juice processing factory. However, the approved business plan listed meoru wine instead of meoru juice. It was a mistake by the responsible official.

Mr. Seo, CEO of Seobu-gun Sanmeoru Farm, explained, "The official had heard of meoru wine but never of meoru juice, so arbitrarily corrected and approved it." He added, "It was absurd, but since the factory establishment was approved anyway, my father decided to try making meoru wine as well, which led to starting the brewing business." He also added, "The more interesting thing is that my father cannot drink even a single glass of alcohol."

Since he could not drink, he could not brew good alcohol from the start. Mr. Seo said, "Looking back, it was funny that at first, we brewed meoru wine by fermenting with nuruk (traditional Korean fermentation starter) like makgeolli, so it tasted more like makgeolli than meoru wine." He explained, "Later, we seriously studied brewing, visited experts, continuously received consulting, developed products, and improved the quality of the wine." After many trials and errors and quality improvements, the first product, "Gamaksan Meoru Wine," was launched in September 1997.

The appearance of Maeru wine stored in the aging warehouse of Sanmaeru Farm

Meoru Wine Aged Over 10 Years: 'Meoru de Seo'

Although meoru is a familiar fruit, few have actually tasted fresh meoru. Because its skin is thin and it contains a lot of moisture, it easily crushes and ferments, making it difficult to distribute in regular supermarkets. Sanmeoru Farm's shift to meoru wine and juice was a natural move considering meoru's poor storability.

Poor storability does not mean poor taste or nutritional value. Meoru is characterized by a sweet and sour taste and generally has a stronger acidity than grapes. Especially, the Sanmeoru Village in Gaekhyun-ri, Jeokseong-myeon, Paju, located behind Gamaksan Mountain at the northernmost part of Gyeonggi Province, has a large temperature difference between day and night, resulting in high sugar content in meoru. Additionally, meoru is rich in anthocyanins, known to be effective for eye health, and contains a large amount of vitamin A, which is said to help prevent dry eye syndrome.

The year 2006 brought another turning point for Sanmeoru Farm. The meoru harvested that year was exceptionally delicious. Generally, the sugar content of meoru, known for its sweetness and good taste, is about 20 Brix, but in 2006, the sugar content reached up to 24 Brix, indicating excellent quality. With such high-quality meoru cultivated, they judged that a product matching its quality was necessary.

Meoru Wine from Sanmeoru Farm 'Meoru de Seo'

Meoru wine is made from meoru harvested in early October. The stems are removed, and only the fruit is crushed and fermented with yeast in stainless steel fermentation tanks for 7 to 10 days for primary fermentation. Afterward, the residue is filtered through a pressing process, and secondary fermentation takes place in tanks for 15 days. After completing secondary fermentation, aging begins, where the difference from previous products was made.

Mr. Seo believed that to differentiate from existing products, aging needed to be emphasized, so he imported oak barrels from Portugal and began aging meoru wine. The product first introduced in 2009 after oak barrel aging is "Meoru de Seo," which has since become the flagship product of Sanmeoru Farm. "Meoru de Seo" means "Seo family's meoru," and it also carries a pun meaning "Please drink meoru."

Currently, Meoru de Seo is sold in two types: the "Dry" product aged in oak barrels and the "Sweet" product aged in traditional Korean earthenware (onggi). The dry product is aged for over 10 years, and the sweet product is aged for 3 to 5 years before bottling. Mr. Seo said that from a producer's perspective, aging and storing wine in an underground cellar for over 10 years is never easy in terms of profitability. Nevertheless, he said, "As is well known, the longer wine is aged, the deeper and richer its taste and aroma become. Meoru de Seo also adheres to the principle of long-term aging to maintain the taste and aroma characteristic of long-aged wines."