Yeongdong in Chungcheongbuk-do is a land abounding in fruit year-round;
grapes in summer, apples in fall and dried persimmons in winter. Owing
to the region’s inland mountainous location in particular, Yeongdong
produces quality grapes with high sugar content and has the nation’s
best wineries with a wide selection of local wines, something that was
once considered the exclusive property of Western countries. As a
result, visitors to Yeongdong can enjoy a unique journey of wine
tasting. In addition to sampling wine, one can also have first-hand
experience in making aromatic grape chocolates. If grapes provide
gastronomic pleasures, then Korean traditional music, or gugak, will be a
feast for the ears. Yeongdong is the hometown of traditional music
virtuoso Park Yeon (pen name Nangye, 1378 - 1458), who compiled gugak
during the Joseon Dynasty. Visitors to the area have a chance to
experience playing and learning about the making of traditional Korean
instruments, as well as enjoy a wide range of gugak performances.
Nearby Attractions
Local Wines of Yeongdong
Photo credit: Korea Tourism Organization
Situated amid the rugged terrain of Sobaek
Mountain Range and Chupungnyeong Mountain Pass, Yeongdong experiences
plenty of sunshine and a large difference between daytime and nighttime
temperatures, which ensures extra sweetness in their grapes. Thanks to
these geographical features, grapes are abundant in Yeongdong,
accounting for more than 12 percent of the nation’s grape production. Wine Korea
is a representative winery of Yeongdong and its wine brand is called
Chateau Mani, in which “Chateau” means “castle” in French but is more
commonly known as a winery with its own wine production and storage
facilities in the Bordeaux region of France and “Mani” takes its name
from Manisan, a mountain located in the western part of Yeongdong-gun.
Wine Korea consists of a bar, tasting room, wine
cellar, and foot spa facility on the first floor, a wine gallery on the
second floor and an oak storeroom at the basement level. The wine bar
and the tasting room display not only wines produced by the winery, but
also a great variety of products made with grapes as their main
ingredients. You can sample around four different types of wines and
also try the wine foot spa experience, which will warm your body up as
you soak your feet in the toasty vat of wine. The foot spa takes around
20 to 25 minutes for a fee of 5,000 won. At Wine Korea, visitors can
look around the wine bar, tasting room, wine gallery, oak storeroom, and
other facilities either individually or by applying for the guided wine
tour, through which they can get more detailed information on wine.
The many private wineries in Yeongdong besides Wine Korea are also worth a visit. Located adjacent to Wine Korea is Country Wine, a time-honored winery that has been cultivating grapes for three generations as a family-run business. The winery makes sanmeoru (wild grape) wine and hard liquor with a more than 45 percent alcohol proof. The winery is equipped with various cellars, including a fermentation cellar, a low-temperature ripening cellar and a wine sampling cellar, as well as a wine bar designed for wine sampling by group visitors, and a liquor shop.
The many private wineries in Yeongdong besides Wine Korea are also worth a visit. Located adjacent to Wine Korea is Country Wine, a time-honored winery that has been cultivating grapes for three generations as a family-run business. The winery makes sanmeoru (wild grape) wine and hard liquor with a more than 45 percent alcohol proof. The winery is equipped with various cellars, including a fermentation cellar, a low-temperature ripening cellar and a wine sampling cellar, as well as a wine bar designed for wine sampling by group visitors, and a liquor shop.
Wine Korea
- ☞ Address: 662, Yeongdonghwanggan-ro, Yeongdong-eup, Yeongdong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do
- ☞ Operating hours: 10:00-17:00
(Guided tours are available Tuesday through Friday. Saturdays are reserved for wine train package tours only. The winery is closed on Sundays, Mondays and holidays.) - ☞ Admission: Free
- ☞ Homepage: www.winekorea.kr (Korean only)
- ☞ 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
Grape Chocolate Making Experience
In addition to the region’s wine, the
grape-producing center of Yeongdong offers another way to enjoy its
savory grapes. The grapes can also be used to make a special kind of
chocolate, filled with grapes, dried persimmons and walnuts inside a
chocolate coating. This delicacy packs an aromatic grape fragrance and a
crunchy fruit texture. There is a chocolate making experience program
at the Business Incubator Center located within Youngdong University.
The experience program offers participants a chance to create their own
chocolates by melting colorful chocolate bars made with various
agricultural products, such as grapes, and pouring the melted chocolate
into plastic molds to make chocolates of different colors and shapes.
The program fee is 10,000 won and it takes around 40 to 50 minutes.
Reservations must be made a few days prior to visiting.
- ☞ Address: 310, Daehangno, Yeongdong-eup, Yeongdong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-go
- ☞ Operating hours: 09:00-18:00
- ☞ Experience fee: 10,000 won
- ☞ Homepage: www.ydchoco.co.kr (Korean only)
- ☞ 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
Winter Delicacy, Yeongdong’s Dried Persimmons
In addition to its large grape cultivation,
Yeongdong also produces a great amount of dried persimmons. About 7
percent of the nation’s dried persimmon production and nearly 70 percent
of the production in Chungcheongbuk-do comes from Yeongdong. Dried
persimmons, called gotgam in Korean, are a representative dried fruit of
Korea. It takes quite a long time to dry fresh persimmons, so it
is truly a ‘slow food,’ made over a long time with a farmer’s
earnest heart.
The annual Yeongdong Dried Persimmons Festival is held every December in downtown Yeongdong. The festival hosts diverse persimmon-themed programs and provides an opportunity to sample this wonderful delicacy, which is made by harvesting persimmons in fall and drying them for months, as well as a range of delectable dishes made using persimmons.
The annual Yeongdong Dried Persimmons Festival is held every December in downtown Yeongdong. The festival hosts diverse persimmon-themed programs and provides an opportunity to sample this wonderful delicacy, which is made by harvesting persimmons in fall and drying them for months, as well as a range of delectable dishes made using persimmons.
- ☞ Address: Yeongdong Traditional Market, 13-1, Yeongsan-ro 1-gil, Yeongdong-eup, Yeongdong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do
- ☞ Operating hours: 10:00-19:00
- ☞ Fees: Free
- ☞ Homepage: gam.yd21.go.kr (Korean only)
- ☞ 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
Encountering Traditional Korean Music, Gugak
Yeongdong, considered to be the home of Korean
classical music, or gugak, is the birthplace of the celebrated
Joseon-era musician, Park Yeon (pen name Nangye), who made a great
contribution in compiling traditional Korean music and making various
musical instruments. In the small town of Simcheon-myeon, visitors can
find the house of Park Yeon’s birth, Nangye Korean Classical Music
Museum, Nangye Korean Classical Instruments Production Village, and Nangye Korean Traditional Music Experience Center.
The area offers a wide range of information on Park Yeon and gugak, in
addition to providing an opportunity to experience varied traditional
musical instruments. At the museum, the exhibits on display are divided
into string, wind, and percussion instruments. The museum features the
life and accomplishments of Park Yeon, the making of musical
instruments, dioramas of ritual music played using classical
instruments, and more.
Across from Nangye Korean Classical Music Museum is Nangye Korean Traditional Music Experience Center, where visitors can experience an array of traditional musical instruments and enjoy gugak performances. The experience hall on the first floor of the building allows visitors to listen to the different sounds of various instruments. The center hosts regular gugak performances, which take place every Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Across from Nangye Korean Classical Music Museum is Nangye Korean Traditional Music Experience Center, where visitors can experience an array of traditional musical instruments and enjoy gugak performances. The experience hall on the first floor of the building allows visitors to listen to the different sounds of various instruments. The center hosts regular gugak performances, which take place every Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
- ☞ Address
- - Nangye Korean Classical Music Museum:
9, Gugak-ro, Simcheon-myeon, Yeongdong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do - - Nangye Korean Traditional Music Experience Center:
18, Gugak-ro, Simcheon-myeon, Yeongdong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do - - Nangye Korean Traditional Music Experience Zone:
5, Gugak-ro, Simcheon-myeon, Yeongdong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do
- - Nangye Korean Classical Music Museum:
- ☞ Operating hours: 09:00-18:00
- ☞ Nangye Korean Classical Instruments Production Village : www.nangyekukak.or.kr (Korean only)
- ☞ 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
Eight Scenic Views of Yangsan Mountain Along Geumgang River
In Korea, there is an old practice of selecting
eight scenic views of an area and calling them ‘palgyeong (pal meaning
eight in Korean, gyeong meaning scene)’, and Yangsan-myeon in
Yeongdong-gun, is no exception, with its picturesque scenery of the
meandering Geumgang River and graceful surrounding mountain terrain. The
eight famous spots collectively referred to as the Yangsan Palgyeong
are Yeongguksa Temple - Yeongdong,
Gangseondae Pavilion, Bibongsan Mountain, Bonghwangdae Rock,
Hambyeokjeong Pavilion, Yeouijeong Pavilion, Japungseodang Village
School, and Yongam Rock.
Among the eight spots, Gangseondae Pavilion is the most well-known attraction. Crossing the Bonggokgyo Bridge, which is just a short walking distance away from Songho National Tourist Site, famous for its pine tree forest, one can see a small pavilion nestled among several pine trees stretching out on a high precipice of the riverside. This pavilion is Gangseondae, and is the scene of various legends such as fairies coming down to bathe and play in the river nearby or a Taoist wizard visiting the pavilion and returning home riding on a cloud. Walking along the river in the direction of Geumsan, the Yeouijeong Pavilion is situated within the pine forest of Songho National Tourist Site. Further along the river is the Yeongdong Bidangang Forest Village, which is well-known for offering plenty of hands-on activities. Cross a bridge after entering the village to find Bonghwangdae Rock and Hambyeokjeong Pavilion.
Among the eight spots, Gangseondae Pavilion is the most well-known attraction. Crossing the Bonggokgyo Bridge, which is just a short walking distance away from Songho National Tourist Site, famous for its pine tree forest, one can see a small pavilion nestled among several pine trees stretching out on a high precipice of the riverside. This pavilion is Gangseondae, and is the scene of various legends such as fairies coming down to bathe and play in the river nearby or a Taoist wizard visiting the pavilion and returning home riding on a cloud. Walking along the river in the direction of Geumsan, the Yeouijeong Pavilion is situated within the pine forest of Songho National Tourist Site. Further along the river is the Yeongdong Bidangang Forest Village, which is well-known for offering plenty of hands-on activities. Cross a bridge after entering the village to find Bonghwangdae Rock and Hambyeokjeong Pavilion.
More info
- ☞ Yeongdong-gun County: www.yd21.go.kr (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
- ☞ Transportation
Express Bus: Dong Seoul Bus Terminal - Yeongdong Intercity Bus Terminal (14:00, 18:00 / bus runs twice daily)
Train: Seoul Station - Yeongdong Station (First train: 06:05, last train: 22:50)
- Yeongdong Dried Persimmons Festival site: From Yeongdong Station, walk about 1 kilometer (Yeongdong Traditional Market).
- Wine Korea: From Yeongdong Station, take a bus bound for Mulhan or Imsan and get off at Johyeon Bus Stop.
- Yeongguksa Temple: From Yeongdong Station, take a bus bound for Yeongguksa (bus runs 6 times daily) and get off at the entrance to Yeongguksa.
- Nangye Korean Classical Music Museum: From Yeongdong Station, take a bus bound for Nalgeun or Godang and get off at Godang-ri Bus Stop.
- Yeongdong Chocolate: From Yeongdong Station, take a bus bound for Cheongsan and get off in front of Youngdong University.
Article and photos courtesy of travel writer Moon Il-Sik
*This article is an edited version of a Korean article.
Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization – Korean website
*This article is an edited version of a Korean article.
Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization – Korean website
* This column was
last updated in January 2015, and therefore information may differ from
what is presented here. We advise you to check details from the
official websites before visiting.
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