The Vines are Fine in Cheongdo

The next leg of my weekend adventure in Cheongdo took us over to a place, simply known as the wine tunnel. The ex-pat crew, pictured below, readily boarded our buses (which we all joked as being decorated in 1970s styling of grind-house/black-'sploitation...complete with pom-poms and purple curtains...we really just needed a touch of neon under the vehicles to really make it feel 'Miami Vice').

Never mind the passer-by...we all were looking forward to our adventure to the wine tunnel in Cheongdo. When we arrived (and thankfully none of us were driving) the entrance to the wine tunnel was a story in itself. This was a rail tunnel that was constructed by the Japanese. No one thought to ask why they left it this way, but it seemed to be a unique way to conduct sobriety tests when you leave.

The wine made here in Cheongdo is made with persimmons, that are farmed using the terrace farming method. You can see they are getting ready for another season of farming. The foot path cuts through the levels. I saw an immense amount of pride that went into their product.

The table was set for this massive group...and if you ask why there is plastic on the ceiling? That is to keep the patrons dry. The ceiling perspires.

Our fortunate group was also allowed to wonder deep within the tunnel to see the the stockpile of persimmon and ice wines that are kept, this is normally never shown to the general public. Cheongdo has bottled the wine which will be served in 2011 in Daegu for for IAAF World Athletic competition.

Total cost for this event...believe it or not only 3,000 Korean Won.