Tuesday, May 1, 2012

First Dokdo Wine Goes on Sale

A wine named 799-805, after the postal codes of Dokdo - which belongs to Korea and NOT Japan - has gone on sale this week.

Produced from the beautiful vineyards of the West Island's fertile south-facing slopes, the grapes are grown in the fresh air of the East Sea and benefit from an atmosphere of freedom from Japanese repression. Gently nourished by the pure-watered Dokgang stream with its source near the summit of the East Sea's largest mountain, Doksan, the unique Korean grapes are already world famous but this is the first time they have been fermented to produce another product, demonstrating the long-held belief that Dokdo water can ultimately be turned into wine. This in turn may finally prove that Jesus of Namyangju, who was killed in the Middle East while working for the Korean Tourism Organization's first-century 'Eternal Seoul' campaign, may be living on Dokdo post-resurrection, as has long been suspected.

The wine itself is said to have a slightly salty taste, with a fruity hint of guano, and is expected to sweep the world as people reject inferior wines while also promoting the provable fact that Dokdo is Korean NOT Japanese. "If Dokdo were Japanese territory, there would be a Japanese Dokdo wine, but there isn't." said 46 year-old Kim Jae-hyun, the owner of Dokdo Vineyards.

The wine's name, 799-805, was carefully chosen to pique people's curiosity about the meaning of the numbers, which will ultimately convince them of Dokdo's Korean ownership, recently proven beyond doubt through the use of Rock DNA techniques. Originally it was to have been called Chateau Dokdo, but there were fears that this might wrongly bolster French claims to the islands. France calls Dokdo the Liancourt Rocks and bizarrely says it discovered the islands even though they are Korean.

The decision to include Dokdo's less prestigious postal codes of 801-805 in the name was controversial, but Kim said it was important that the wine be seen as a product of the whole of Dokdo, even if its association with poorer areas lessens its prestige and prevents it being truly recognized as a 'well-being' product. In order to overcome these doubts in the eyes of Korean consumers, the wine will be sold as a luxury product for between 200,000 won ($176) and 300,000 won ($264). If it's successful, prices may eventually rise to between $799 and $805 per bottle, making the purchase of bottles an investment opportunity for the particularly strong-willed.

The first 50 cases of Dokdo wine will be delivered in a wooden presentation box made from Dokdo's two trees, which were cut down in March last year during the construction of Dokdo's International Airport. "Cutting down the trees was an incredible sacrifice" explains Dokdo's 64 year-old Mayor Kim, "but it is fitting that after guaranteeing Dokdo's status as an island for many years, they should continue fighting for Dokdo around the world." On opening the wine boxes owners will be greeted with the unique smell of Dokdo air as well as a map which clearly shows Dokdo, its Japanese-exclusion zone, the East Sea, and the large area of no-man's land between Korea and China.

But there are fears that the wine will sell out before it is able to prove itself to foreign palettes and convince those who are unaware of the issue that Dokdo belongs to Korea NOT Japan. 20,000 bottles have been produced so far with 5,000 being sold within Korean-American communities in the U.S. and 10,000 being exported to mainland Korea, which only leaves distributors with 25% to sell to ignorant foreigners.

Profits are expected to be donated to non-profit organizations that work to advertise Korea's territorial claim to Dokdo overseas, such as Dokdo Vineyards.

Related Links
Dentist champions Dokdo with wine
Dokdo Wine
Winery In US Introduces 'Dokdo Wine'
Dokdo Plans International Airport
Dokdo missing on iPhone, Galaxy S
New Rock DNA Technique Proves Dokdo is Korean
East Sea Mistake - It Was Always 'Sea of Korea'
"Jesus Was Korean" Says Seoul Church
Koreans Urged to Buy Gifts for Dokdo on Valentine's Day
China Attacks Korean Island of Ieodo
International Conference to be Held on Korean Island of Ieodo

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