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Shaoxing and yellow rice wine

It is not clear exactly when winemaking in Shaoxing started. However, yellow rice wine made in Shaoxing did play a role in the legends of King Gou Jian, who ruled the Yue State from 496 to 474BC.

During his reign, the king boosted population by distributing wine as a reward to families for giving birth to children. The king shared wine with his soldiers before his army set out to conquer the Wu State, the archrival of the Yue. After the great triumph, the king treated his ministers and generals with wine at a state banquet.

Shaoxing Wine (yellow rice wine) is exported to more than 40 countries and regions. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Winemaking in Shaoxing

It is said that winemaking is an equal mix of technology and art. The success of Shaoxing Wine as it is today is attributed to its improvement and evolution through the centuries.

The water used in winemaking in Shaoxing is special. Thirty-six streams and rivers that start from the Kuaiji Mountains and empty into Jianhu Lake are the source water for winemaking. Rice produced in Shaoxing has some special characteristics and experts say the water from the lake is the best ingredient.

The winemaking procedure is complex, intricate, and requires accurate technology. The lunar calendar is used to indicate what to do and when.

For example, some ingredients like fermented rice must be collected in the Plum Rain season in June; the yeast for fermenting rice wine must be made in July; the brewing starter made in August; brewing starts on the Winter Solstice day in late December; and is jarred on the start of the Spring in February. This part of the procedure takes about 280 days. The jarred wine is aged for three to five years on average before it is bottled and marketed.