By Jane Han
Staff Reporter
Looking out the window from a southbound KTX train last November, a local wine company CEO saw a rusty and near empty Saemaul-ho coach on the tracks _ and instantly he thought, ``new business.''
The inspiration that flickered across the mind of WineKorea's top executive Yoon Byung-tae triggered a new drink-n-ride service that brings visitors to the country's one and only winery in Youngdong, North Chungcheong Province.
``The booming popularity of KTX has been threatening Saemaul-ho, and I thought the remodeling of a few cars of this neglected train into a moving wine bar would attract new riders,'' said 51-year-old Yoon, who heads a winery that is home to the local brand Chateau Mani.
And he was right.
Since the bi-weekly service started, its been enjoying full booking and rave reviews from guests.
``When I first approached the Korea Railroad Corporation to get a permit, they were welcoming because the project promised to revive a train that's been losing patrons over some time,'' said Yoon, hinting that a few more cars and entertainment events would be added to the current service in early June.
As guests arrive at the WineKorea winery, they see a mega wine village with not just a vineyard, but all sorts state of the art winemaking equipment.
For the expertise his company practices on its own private label, Yoon gets showered with compliments, but he says the know-how was well-earned from much trial and error.
``To produce the best tasting wine, I've been experimenting constantly,'' said the winemaker. ``I put rose petals, caramel and even cigarettes into the mix to taste how the flavor changed.''
The wild testing was inspired from his days spent in France when he put his all into learning every little detail about wine.
Since 1999, Yoon has been to France twice a year to do hands-on work in wineries.
``It's learning from the bottom because I get to see the very early stages of how excellent wine is made,'' he said. ``When I first saw barefooted people stepping on something that would eventually end up in our mouths, I was a bit surprised.''
But that surprise soon became his very own specialty.
``Being barefoot is crucial because you're doing it to raise the temperature of the drink,'' he said. ``I love doing it too.''
After learning the ins and outs, the ambitious CEO tried delivering and transforming the techniques to fit local business.
He recalled that kicking off a wine company was definitely not easy because of the unfamiliarity people had back then.
``Nowadays, wine has gained popularity, but that wasn't the case even a decade ago,'' he said. ``But breaking through a new channel to save homegrown grapes was as critical then as it is now.''
While grapes used to cost about 30,000 to 40,000 won 10 years ago, it costs around 10,000 won now, Yoon pointed out, adding that farmers struggled before but the situation is worse now.
``It's time for the industry to find other means of promoting grape products,'' he said. ``And wine is just the thing.''
Currently producing 13 different types of wine, the company saw annual sales of 7.5 billion won and estimates of about 12 billion won for 2007.
Yoon said he will be focusing more on ``bursting the bubble'' in the wine industry where products are greatly overpriced.
``When you get a bottle of wine, 30 percent of the cost is the drink itself, while 70 percent is the packaging,'' he said. ``That gives us room to adjust the price so that more consumers purchase the drink paying less money.''
With more than 50 regional and local branches nationwide, the WineKorea CEO has fresh plans beyond just the train service, to intice wine lovers.
``I think if I did something else with the same level of passion I have for wine, I'd be a millionaire by now,'' he said. ``I'm just really thankful that finally my hard work is slowly beginning to pay off.''
Wine spa, private cellar rental, and one-day winemaking trips are some of the new projects keeping Yoon busy at work.
``I'll reveal them little by little,'' he said laughing. ``If you show it all at once, there's not enough sizzle _ and wine is all about sizzling.''