(Koreajoongangdaily) - Sales of wine at local discount chains outstripped those of soju for the first time, data showed yesterday, mirroring a changing trend in Korea’s drinking culture. Wine sales surpassed those of the local alcoholic drink by 4.6 percent this year, according to the data by Lotte Mart, a discount chain arm of retail giant Lotte. Last year, sales of wine lagged behind those of soju by roughly 6 percent. Wine sales stood at around 25 percent of soju sales in the first half in the early 2000s, but jumped to 58 percent in 2006 and have been trending higher, according to the retailer.