The rice grape from the brewery Newbang won the Daesang in the Korean rice wine category at the 2025 Korea Wine & Spirits Awards.
The Korea Wine & Spirits Awards is the representative liquor evaluation event in South Korea, now in its 12th year. The event, organized annually by ChosunBiz since 2014, aims to "discover and widely promote good domestic liquor, while supporting the formation of a healthy drinking culture."
This year's event saw 236 companies submit a total of 1,008 brands, making it the largest scale among domestic liquor evaluations. Among them, 431 brands received the Daesang.
The rice grape is made using Samgwang rice from Daejeon and Campbells grapes from the Chungcheong region. Samgwang rice is a type of the highest quality rice cultivated most in South Chungcheong Province, developed by the Rural Development Administration. The sweet taste of the rice and the unique aroma of the Campbells grapes blend well together to create a rice wine that, at a glance, doesn’t look like Korean rice wine, but resembles a rosé.
The company name “Newbang” means "to create a new genre of wine," combining the English word New and the French word Vin for wine. Newbang is continuously releasing new products made from a variety of seasonal ingredients. A representative of Newbang noted, "We are creating good liquor that will attract those waiting for the transformation of traditional liquor and the harmony of tradition and modernity."