Veteran winemaker Xu Hailong is busier than ever since November 7, the beginning of winter on the traditional Chinese solar calendar this year. This period is considered the best season to brew huangjiu, or yellow rice wine, in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province. Every day, the 62-year-old performs a variety of tasks, including soaking, steaming and mixing rice with yeast before fermenting them in vats.
Despite the throngs of visitors entering and leaving the premises, Xu remains focused and continues stirring a large ceramic vat at a steady pace to ensure the rice grains ferment at the optimal temperature. Among the recent visitors was a delegation of 10 expats from various countries, including the United States, Italy, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Yemen, who were on a tour of the Shaoxing Huangjiu Town on November 12.
Shaoxing, a waterside city, is widely regarded as the home for yellow rice wine in China, similar to how Bordeaux is viewed as the mecca for wine in France. During the trip, Xu demonstrated to the foreigners some of the steps required in the early stages of winemaking.
Valles Sabrina Christine, a US resident who works at Win-Some Trading Co in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang, said she was particularly impressed by how the winemaker handled the rice. “I absolutely loved making huangjiu here in Shaoxing. I sometimes brew beer at home, so getting to see how huangjiu is made and seeing how the rice is handled and fermented was something really cool and exciting,” she said.
The techniques employed by local brewers like Xu are hardly different from those used by their ancestors thousands of years ago. In 2006, the process of making Shaoxing yellow rice wine was listed as an intangible cultural heritage under state protection.
Xu’s work is essential to the production of Shaoxing yellow rice wine, a drink with a unique flavor that has been beloved by locals for generations. The wine’s distinct flavor is attributed to the use of locally grown glutinous rice and a fermentation process that can last up to 10 years.
The wine is also widely used in cooking, adding a rich depth of flavor to dishes such as drunken chicken and fish, as well as to a variety of soups and stews. The wine’s popularity has led to the creation of an entire town dedicated to its production, with a variety of factories, museums, and shops, drawing visitors from all over the world.
As a master of his craft, Xu takes great pride in his work, and his passion for brewing huangjiu is apparent in every aspect of the process. As winter continues in Shaoxing, visitors can look forward to seeing Xu and other local winemakers hard at work, carrying on a tradition that has been passed down for generations.
Renowned winemaker Wang Jinjin, who holds the distinction of being a national first-class wine taster, has touted the benefits of using traditional methods to craft huangjiu, or yellow rice wine, in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province. Wang claims that the time-honored techniques produce superior-tasting wine compared to modern means.
“Using the former method requires the rice to be first placed into vats to ferment for the entire winter and early spring. Following this, the fermented rice needs to be pressed, filtered, pasteurized and aged before being bottled for sales around the world,” Wang explained.
He added that the quality of water used in the wine crafting process is another reason why huangjiu from Shaoxing is considered the best in China. Jianhu Lake, which is the main source of water used to make the wine in the city, is fed by 36 streams formed by high-quality mountain springs, and the lake’s water is more conducive to yeast fermentation.
For the locals of Shaoxing, huangjiu is more than just an alcoholic beverage for casual drinking. The drink, which is known for its distinctive amber color and rich taste, is an aromatic spirit aged in earthenware vats, sometimes for decades, and is usually reserved for special occasions. Locals would traditionally age the wine in their cellars in preparation for future celebrations, such as the birth of a new child or weddings. Huangjiu drunk during a daughter’s wedding banquet is called nyuerhong or “daughter red,” while those reserved to celebrate a son’s graduation from college are called zhuangyuanhong or “scholar red”.
The technique of crafting floral motifs on bottles, called huadiao in Shaoxing, has also been listed as a provincial intangible cultural heritage item. The motifs found on wine bottles vary according to the occasion. Foreign expert Douglas Christopher Dueno, who writes for China Daily Website, describes jars that are uniquely designed for a person and special occasions as “extraordinary” and imagines the happiness and excitement of people when they retrieve the jars that they had buried ages ago.
Wang Jinjin believes that while the traditional method of crafting huangjiu is labor-intensive, it is worth the effort as it results in better-tasting wine than modern techniques. The former method requires the rice to be placed in vats to ferment throughout the winter and early spring, and then the fermented rice must be pressed, filtered, pasteurized, and aged before being bottled for sales worldwide. The quality of the water used in the wine crafting process is also a key factor in Shaoxing’s huangjiu being recognized as the best in China. Jianhu Lake, the main source of water used to make wine in the city, is fed by 36 streams formed by high-quality mountain springs, making the lake’s water more conducive to yeast fermentation.
For locals, huangjiu is not just an alcoholic beverage for casual drinking, but an aromatic spirit aged in earthenware vats, sometimes for decades, and is usually reserved for special occasions. Shaoxing residents traditionally age the wine in their cellars in preparation for future celebrations, such as the birth of a child or weddings. Huangjiu served during a daughter’s wedding banquet is known as nyuerhong, or “daughter red,” while the wine reserved for a son’s graduation from college is called zhuangyuanhong, or “scholar red.”
The craft of crafting floral motifs on bottles, known as huadiao in Shaoxing, has also been listed as a provincial intangible cultural heritage item. The patterns found on wine bottles differ depending on the event. Foreign expert Douglas Christopher Dueno describes jars uniquely designed
Shaoxing huangjiu, a type of Chinese rice wine produced using traditional techniques, has become a lucrative industry in Shaoxing City, located in China’s Zhejiang Province. According to wine expert Wang Jinjin, who is a national first-class winemaker and taster, the ancient winemaking methods used to produce huangjiu are laborious but yield better-tasting wine than modern techniques. The production process involves fermenting the rice in vats throughout the winter and early spring, followed by pressing, filtering, pasteurizing, and aging before bottling and distribution to countries worldwide.
In addition to the winemaking process, the high-quality mountain spring water sourced from Jianhu Lake in Shaoxing City plays a significant role in the unique taste of huangjiu. The water is more conducive to yeast fermentation, leading to the wine’s rich, amber color and flavor.
For locals in Shaoxing, huangjiu is more than an alcoholic beverage; it is a cultural icon that has been passed down from generation to generation. The wine is aged in earthenware vats for several years, with some wines aged for decades, making them suitable for special occasions. Locals would traditionally age the wine in their cellars, reserving it for future celebrations, such as a daughter’s wedding banquet (nyuerhong) or a son’s graduation from college (zhuangyuanhong).
Crafting floral motifs on the bottles, known as huadiao, has also been listed as a provincial intangible cultural heritage item. These motifs vary according to the occasion and add to the wine’s unique and traditional cultural identity. Furthermore, each jar is designed uniquely for each person, making it an earthen-clay vessel with a unique story.
Today, Shaoxing has leveraged its rich wine culture to stimulate development, and winemaking has become a pillar industry in the city. In 2021, Shaoxing huangjiu sales revenue totaled 5.54 billion yuan ($780 million), accounting for approximately 43% of China’s total. The profits of Shaoxing’s wine industry reached 816 million yuan, making up approximately 48% of the national total, more than 8 percentage points higher than the previous year.
Authorities have been seeking further development by integrating wine brewing with tourism. Shaoxing Huangjiu Town, for instance, is a place where visitors can savor heritage wine while enjoying ancient architectures and stunning views of nature. After undergoing a comprehensive upgrade of its facilities earlier this year, the town saw over 100,000 tourist visits between the National Day holiday and mid-November. On Nov 7, the town was designated as the permanent host venue for the China International Huangjiu Industry Expo.
Visitors are thrilled to experience the beauty of Shaoxing’s landscapes and the brewing techniques they have never seen before. Greta Bianchi, an Italian who works as the operation manager of VFS Global in Shanghai, expressed her strong desire to visit Shaoxing again, stating that she was enthralled by the local landscapes and brewing techniques and that there was so much more about the place that she wanted to explore.