Thirsty Thursdays: Drinking North Korean Blueberry Wine in Seoul

Ordering a North Korean beer in Pyongyang

Officially at least, I made it across the border into North Korea a year ago, the same week that Kim Jong Il died. We did the DMZ tour, crossing the border from North to South in a sky blue hut in Panmunjom. Just before that however, we were able to visit two shops inside the DMZ, both of which sold authentic North Korean products. A few snacks and some alcohol. The first thing I really wanted was a North Korean beer. But alas, they didn’t have any. Please note – I finally tried North Korean beer in 2013 when I visited Pyongyang, writing about the bars of the city, the best sights in Pyongyang and loving my time in the often dubbed “hermit kingdom”.

North Korean alcohol - Blueberry Wine

Thirsty Thursdays – North Korean Blueberry Wine!

So an amazing alternative caught my eye – Blueberry Wine! Authentically made in North Korea. It just had to be tried.

That night after the DMZ tour we had been invited to a house party in the Sincheon area of Seoul, so I opted for a bottle of the Blueberry Wine to take to the party and sample with everyone. If I was rich, I’d have bought a load of the North Korean alcohol just to try.

North Korean blueberry wine

On the bus back to Seoul eager to burst open my North Korean blueberry wine

So fast forward a few hours to the house party. I was very eager to open my wine. I am like a kid in these instances – when I get something new to try. So what you really want to know is – what was it like?

It was absolutely gorgeous!! I couldn’t believe it – we shared it round our group and I loved the stuff, as did most of the others. In fact I don’t think anyone had a bad word to say about it. And with that came the only regret that I didn’t buy some more.

So there you have it – today’s Thirsty Thursday on Don’t Stop Living is about North Korean alcohol – North Korean wine to be exact – or even better North Korean blueberry wine.

Whether it’s authentic or not isn’t really the point here – I enjoyed it and when I visit North Korea properly I will be on the lookout for more!

*** UPDATE just back from North Korea properly this time and can confirm it was authentic Blueberry Wine and it tastes awesome!

Here’s a video i took at the house party trying the amazing North Korean Blueberry Wine:

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