SOYEON: A Wine To Commemorate a Historic Spaceflight and to Inspire Women in STEM

Dr. Soyeon Yi inspired the nation of Korea when in 2008 she became the first Korean astronaut. With the launch of the 2018 Soyeon Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, she hopes to inspire and help young women to pursue a life in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) by telling her story through wine.

This ambitious project by one of South Korea’s most famous women is a partnership with Cecil Park, the first Korean-American female winemaker in Napa. Cecil founded and operates WineFornia, a custom crush facility that works with individual wine lovers and institutions to create and bottle one-of-a-kind wines.

Explaining her mission for her new wine, Soyeon points to the power of wine to inspire and tell stories:

“The launch of the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon not only commemorates my 2008 spaceflight but also signifies the endless goals and achievements one can accomplish with persistence. Wine has the ability to share stories and bring communities together. Through the launch of this wine, I hope to share my story as a Korean astronaut and invite the next generation to explore different fields.”

The wine comes in a commemorative 12 bottle set, with each bottle having a unique handwritten phrase commemorating one of the twelve steps of her journey. For this one and only case available on WineBid, each bottle will be available individually, although we believe one enterprising collector will want to own the entire set.

2006. 4. 21. Challenge!: This bottle marks the moment Dr. Soyoen Yi submitted her application for the Korean Astronaut program, which occurred exactly one minute after midnight on the on the day submissions opened.

2006. 10. 13. 245 / 36,206: This bottle commemorates the date on which Soyeon was notified that she was among the 245 finalists to survive a battery of aptitude and physical tests given to the total field of 36,206 applicants.

2006. 10. 26. Final 30!: This bottle marks the date that Soyeon was notified she was among the 30 finalists for Korea’s first astronaut program after surviving another round of psychological tests, physical tests and interviews.

2006. 11.23. The Last 10!: With this bottle, Soyeon celebrates being named one of the final ten candidates after a series of scientific experiments, reasoning skill tests, English communication tests, group tasks and challenging flight simulations.

2006. 12. 25. Merriest Ever Christmas! This bottle celebrates Christmas day 2006, when Dr. Yi received the exciting news that she would be accepted as one of only two people for the Korean Space program, and sent into official training.

2007. 3. 7. GCTC: This bottle recalls the beginning of Soyeon’s astronaut training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center located in Star City, near Moscow.

2007. 9. 5. Back-Up Crew: This bottle highlights the unhappy day Soyeon learned that instead of being the primary astronaut and the first Korean in space,, she instead was named the “Back Up” Astronaut.

2008. 3. 10. Original Intention: This bottle in the collection marks the day Soyeon learned of changes to the Korean space program that culminated in mission changes that made her the primary astronaut.

2008. 3. 26. Quarantine: With this bottle, Soyeon looks back at the date when her astronaut quarantine in Kazakhstan began. It would last two weeks and include not just her, but the back up astronaut and the entire launch crew.

2008. 4. 8. Let’s go!: This bottle commemorates the day of Soyeon and her crew launch into space and journey to the International space station, an event that was viewed across Korean and represented a proud moment for the country.

2008. 4. 10. Finally, ISS!: Two days after launch from Kazakhstan, Dr. Yi and her crewmates arrived at the International Space Station where a ceremonial greeting was offered before she immediately began her experiments. This bottle highlights this thrilling moment for her.

2008. 4. 19. Return: This final bottle in the collection marks the date of Soyeon’s return to Earth and the end of her mission. The return flight was a tense affair that resulted in the capsule landing more than 500 Km off course due to difficulties with the capsule separation process, waiting for the rescue crew and being first greeted on earth by a curious collection of Kazak nomads.

Tasting Notes:

This complex wine begins with vibrant aromas of red cherry and blackberry followed by a bouquet of violets, cedar and bittersweet chocolate completed by earthy elements such as fling and dried shells. As the wine opens up, hints of currant and vanilla are revealed. Full-bodied, this wine offers up youthful tannins of great quality, enriching the round and creamy mid-palate mouthfeel.

Made in limited amounts, the 2018 Soyeon Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon will raise much needed funds for Amalia’s Aero Club, an educational initiative by The Museum of Flight (Seattle, WA) designed to inspire young girls in the exploration of Science, Technology, Engineering, Aviation, Art, & Mathematics (STEA2M). A portion of sales of each bottle will be donated to Amalia’s Aero Club.