South Korea’s liquor brand Kooksoondang Brewery Co. said on Wednesday that it will import and distribute wines from Raymond Vineyards located in the heart of Napa Valley, California, as it seeks new revenue base amid stagnant sales of mainstay traditional rice wine makgeolli.

Raymond Vineyards wines are a joint work of Napa Valley, a popular wine-producing area along the west coast, and brewing technique from France. The wines from the particular estate have been certified by California Certified Organic Farmers in 2013 and as Biodynamic wines approved by international organic certification agency Demeter International. Biodynamic agriculture is a method of environmentally-friendly farming that excludes the use of artificial chemicals but only natural compost and natural pesticides.

Kooksoondang will market 11 wines from Raymond Vineyards including Raymond Reserve Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 and Raymond Generations Cabernet Sauvignon at major Lotte Department Store branches, hotels, and wine shops.

Kooksoondang - known as a leading manufacturer of traditional Korean liquor such as makgeolli - made a foray into the wine business in 2003 by taking over Haitai & Company Co., the country’s first producer of domestic wines. Kooksoondang currently sells 300 different types of wine and champagne.

Shares of Kooksoondang ended up 0.68 percent at 5,940 won ($5.35) on Wednesday.

By Lee Duk-joo and Lee Eun-joo

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