Yeopo Wine Farm

How It Began

Yeopo Wine Farm is a winery in Yanggang-myeon, Yeongdong-gun, North Chungcheong. According to its official history, Yeopo Farm was founded in December 1997. CEO Yeo In-seong settled in Yeongdong that same year, when he began his working life as a railway civil servant. The "Yeopo" in the farm's name was his childhood nickname, the name of a character from Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Lü Bu).

In June 2006 the farm received a recommendation for farmers' liquor production, and in December 2007 it obtained a farmers' liquor manufacturing license, conditional on its facilities. It received the full license in October 2009. After obtaining the license, Yeo toured wine regions abroad, including Italy, France and Australia. He also studied winemaking at the Korea National Agricultural Venture University and its graduate school, and at the graduate school of food engineering at Yeongdong University.

The farm is run jointly by the couple Yeo In-seong and Kim Min-je. Co-CEO Kim Min-je majored in hotel food service and culinary arts, and she is also called "Choseon," after the name of Yeopo's lover (Diaochan). As of a 2015 article, Yeo was still working as a Korail employee while running the farm. The farm says that from the time it first made wine, its goal has been "a wine you'd want to give to your closest friend."

How the Wine Is Made

According to a 2015 Rural Women's Newspaper article, there is a vineyard of about 2,000 pyeong (roughly 6,600 m²) behind the building. The main variety is Campbell Early. The farm also grew meoru, Alexandria, Neo Muscat, Merlot, Sangiovese, Koshu, Buffalo and others. The article said that while production is small, the farm makes as many different wines as it has grape varieties.

In 2010, under the Rural Development Administration's farmer technology development program, the farm began research and development on a "method of making wine without added sugar for high-quality wine production," completing it in December 2011. Its red wine is made in two versions, dry and sweet, and brings out the character typical of Yeongdong Campbell Early. The red sweet is a wine in which sweetness blends with an oak aroma. The farm introduces it as "a family wine anyone can enjoy."

The white wine is a sweet wine made from the Alexandria variety. Yeo explains that he blends in Muscat of Alexandria, an ancient African variety, because it grows a little better in Korea's climate. The farm says its grapes are grown with natural farming methods and are high in sugar.

Signature Wines and Lineage

The farm's wines are named "Yeopo's Dream." Everything from red, white and rosé wines to brandy is made under this one name. "Yeopo's Dream (Red)" was released in July 2010. As of September 2026, the official online store lists Yeopo's Dream Red (Dry) and Yeopo's Dream Red (Sweet), each at 12% and 750ml.

"Yeopo's Dream White" is a sweet white wine made from the Alexandria variety. The rosé "Choseon" is a wine Yeo made especially for his wife, co-CEO Kim Min-je, who was disappointed that she had no wine of her own after the red, white and rosé were released. It is listed on the official online store as the "Choseon's Dream" sweet rosé wine (12% · 750ml). As of a 2015 article, the farm also made a brandy (Yeopo Cognac) it calls "A Dream Beyond the Dream."

Recognition

At the 1st Korea Wine Awards in 2014, "Yeopo's Dream Rosé" won the grand prize (Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Award). In 2015 and 2016 it won the grand prize (Maru Award) at the Gwangmyeong Wine Cave Wine Competition two years in a row. In December 2015, the Rural Women's Newspaper summed up that it had also received an excellence award at the Korea Wine & Liquor Competition, a gold medal at the Korea Wine Festival and a gold medal at the Korea Wine Best Selection.

"Yeopo's Dream White" won an excellence award at the Korea Wine & Liquor Competition in 2015. In 2017 it won the top excellence award at the same competition. In July 2021 it again received an excellence award at the Korea Wine & Liquor Competition.

When Ivanka Trump visited Cheong Wa Dae (the Blue House) during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, "Yeopo's Dream White" was served at the dinner. This earned it the nickname "Ivanka wine." The official history records this as its 2018 "selection as the dinner wine commemorating Ivanka Trump's visit to Cheong Wa Dae."

In 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and aT selected Yeopo Wine Farm as a "Visiting Brewery." Kooksoondang (Hoengseong), Doranwon (Yeongdong) and Joeunsul (Pyeongtaek) were chosen the same year. aT's 2022 guidebook named Yeo a frontrunner even in Yeongdong, known as the mecca of Korean wine.