Do you know the origin of rice wine?

Yellow rice wine is a national specialty in China, also known as rice wine, which belongs to brewing wine and occupies an important position in the world's three major brewing wines (yellow rice wine, wine and beer).

Yellow rice wine is a kind of low-alcohol juice wine (pressed wine) made from glutinous rice and millet as main raw materials. The raw materials are processed and brewed in a specific way, and interact with various molds and yeasts in wine medicine, distiller's yeast and syrup.

Second, classification

(1) can be divided into three main producing areas by region, thus forming three schools and styles of yellow rice wine.

1. Northern yellow rice wine represented by Jimo old wine in Shandong.

2. Southern yellow rice wine represented by Caiguan wine in Laojiu and Longyan, Fujian.

3. Jiangnan yellow rice wine represented by Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai: Danyang, Jiangsu Province "closed wine"; Shaoxing wine from "Huijishan", "Tapai" and "Guyue Longshan" in Zhejiang; Shanghai yellow rice wine from Jinfeng, Shikumen, Hejiu and Dianshan Lake. ?

(2) According to the different sugar content, yellow rice wine can be divided into dry rice wine, semi-dry rice wine, semi-sweet rice wine and sweet rice wine from low to high.

1. Dry yellow rice wine

The total sugar content is equal to or lower than 15.0g/L, such as Shanghai yellow rice wine and Yuan red wine. Suitable for consumers who prefer light and refreshing. ?

"Dry" means that the sugar content of wine is low, and all the sugar is fermented into alcohol, so the sugar content of wine is the lowest.

Color, fragrance and taste: the taste is mellow and fresh, rich and mellow, orange yellow to dark brown, clear and transparent, and shiny. ?

2. Semi-dry yellow rice wine

Liquor with a total sugar content of 15. 1g/L-40.0g/L, such as Tejia yellow rice wine, Shikumen Shanghai old wine, Nonghao adult wine and Huadiao wine.

"Semi-dry" means that all the sugar in wine is not fermented into alcohol, and some sugar remains. The wine is rich in quality and excellent in flavor, and can be preserved for a long time. It is the top grade of yellow rice wine. Color, fragrance and taste: the taste is mellow, soft and fresh, rich and mellow, orange yellow to dark brown, clear and shiny. ?

3.semi-sweet rice wine

Liquor with total sugar content of 40. 1g/L- 100.0g/L, such as good wine, mellow honey alcohol, Jimo old wine, etc.

Color, fragrance and taste: mellow, fresh, sweet and refreshing, harmonious, rich and mellow, clear and transparent, full of luster. ?

4. Sweet rice wine

Liquor with total sugar content higher than 100.0g/L, such as Xiangxue wine, Cai Gang wine, honey alcohol, etc. Color, fragrance and taste: fresh, sweet, mellow, harmonious, rich and mellow, orange-yellow to dark brown, clear, transparent and shiny.

Third, famous wine.

Zhejiang Carved Wine, Fujian Old Wine, Jiangxi Jiujiang Sealed Wine, Jiangsu Danyang Sealed Wine, Wuxi Huiquan Wine, Guangdong Pearl Red Wine, Shandong Jimo Old Wine, etc.

Shaoxing wine is recognized by China brewing industry, the most popular wine in international and domestic markets, and the most characteristic wine in China, which was first popularized. ?

Fourth, storage requirements.

Yellow rice wine belongs to fermented wine, and its alcohol content is generally low. The older, the more fragrant. The storage of yellow rice wine has the following requirements:

(a) should be stored in the underground wine warehouse.

(2) The optimum temperature of yellow rice wine is generally below 20 degrees, and the relative humidity is between 60% and 70%. The storage temperature of yellow rice wine is not as low as possible. It will freeze, deteriorate and break the jar below MINUS 5 degrees, and it is not easy to store it in the open air.

(three) should not be stored in the same warehouse with other smelly goods or drinks. (4) It is not easy to shake frequently and cannot be illuminated by strong light. (5) Do not use metal utensils to store yellow rice wine.

(6) After the rice wine is unsealed, it is easy to be rancid due to air, so it should not be stored for a long time. (7) Ordinary yellow rice wine should be stored for one year to make the wine fragrant and mellow. If the storage time is too long, the color of the wine will deepen, especially the wine with high sugar content is more serious; The aroma will change from mellow to fruity, with a burnt taste, and the taste will change from mellow to light. (8) Yellow rice wine will precipitate after storage, which is caused by protein condensation in the wine, which is a normal phenomenon and does not affect the quality of the wine. But be careful not to treat rancidity and turbidity caused by bacteria as normal precipitation. If the wine is mixed together, it has a strong sour taste and has gone bad, so it is not drinkable.

Verb (abbreviation of verb) Drinking temperature and method (1) Warm drinking yellow rice wine?

The most traditional drinking method of yellow rice wine is warm drinking. Warm drinking is characterized by rich aroma and soft taste. There are generally two ways to warm wine: one is to heat the wine container in hot water, and the other is to heat it from the fire. However, the heating time of rice wine should not be too long, otherwise the alcohol will volatilize and become tasteless. Generally speaking, warm drinks are very popular in winter. ?

The best tasting temperature of yellow rice wine is about 38℃, and it is heated to 60-70℃ in water. During blanching of yellow rice wine, a few organic compounds which are harmful to human health, such as methanol, aldehydes and ethers, will volatilize with the increase of temperature, and at the same time, lipid aromatic substances will also volatilize with the increase of temperature, thus making the wine more sweet, mellow and fragrant. Therefore, drinking yellow wine while it is hot is very beneficial to your health. (2) iced rice wine? At present, in Hong Kong and Japan, it is popular among young people to drink iced yellow rice wine, especially yellow rice wine with ice. Self-made iced yellow rice wine should be put in the refrigerator, and the temperature should be controlled at about 3℃. When drinking, it is better to put some ice in the cup. Plum, lemon, etc. can also be added. Add it to wine according to your personal taste, or mix it with sprite, cola and juice. Has the effects of relieving summer heat and stimulating appetite. Adding frozen soda water to rice wine, the light astringency of soda water is fully combined with the rich medicinal flavor of rice wine, which makes people feel refreshed.

(3) rice wine?

The matching of yellow rice wine is also very particular. With different dishes and different wines, you can experience the unique flavor of yellow rice wine. Take Shaoxing wine as an example: dry red wine should be accompanied by cold dishes such as vegetables and jellyfish; Semi-dry rice wine is suitable for meat and hairy crabs; Semi-sweet wine, suitable for chickens and ducks; Sweet fragrant snow wine is suitable for beet.

Sixth, the companion and nutritional function of yellow rice wine

(1) Yellow rice wine+shredded ginger, preserved plum, medlar and longan are considered as a kind of good medicinal liquor, which is often used as a medicine introduction. Adding yellow rice wine to Chinese traditional medicine with beauty beauty effect, soaking and boiling can replenish qi and blood. External application is not as good as internal administration. Women who drink for a long time can make their faces rosy and their hair more radiant, which is a great achievement that can not be achieved by simply using beauty and skin care products. ?

(2) Yellow Rice Wine+Jujube

Yellow rice wine will produce sour taste if it is stored for a long time. If you put a few black dates or red dates in the wine, it will keep the yellow wine sour for a long time. Jujube absorbs the essence of yellow rice wine, with full appearance and rich taste; Yellow rice wine is more mellow because it is contaminated with the sweetness and sugar of red dates. Red dates are eaten with meat removed from the core, and the temperature is taken after the yellow wine is scalded. If you have one or two fresh seafood dishes, the yellow, red, white and three colors complement each other, and the entrance will melt immediately, which will make people shine. ?

(3) Yellow rice wine+green plum

Plum has the effects of promoting fluid production to quench thirst, moistening lung and nourishing stomach, clearing liver and activating kidney, and also contains 18 amino acids and vitamins. Plum melts the strength of wine, and yellow wine also alleviates the sour taste of plum, both of which are the protagonists.

(4) Yellow rice wine+seasonal fruits

The fruit can be lemon slices, cherries, cucumbers, etc. , visually refreshing. This is a popular way to drink yellow wine in Japanese restaurants: first put some ice cubes in the glass, inject a small amount of yellow wine, dilute it with cold water, and then add a fresh slice of lemon or cherry, which feels like a cocktail and is full of food flavor. ?

(5) Yellow rice wine+beverage

Drinks can be sprite, cola, fruit juice, etc. After ice-cooling, it is like taking a sip of clear spring, which is mellow and delicious, and the summer heat disappears. ?

(6) Yellow rice wine+beer

It is said that there was a popular drinking method of yellow rice wine in Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province, that is, "one to two" and "one to three", that is, a bottle of yellow rice wine was mixed with two or three bottles of beer and boiled on the fire for drinking. After shaking hands with beer, the mellow taste of yellow rice wine was greatly reduced. This drinking method is not suitable for shallow drinking and slow drinking, but is more suitable for drinking wine.

Seven, the principle of food collocation

Take Shaoxing wine as an example: dry red wine should be accompanied by cold dishes such as vegetables and jellyfish; Semi-dry rice wine is suitable for meat and hairy crabs; Semi-sweet wine, suitable for chickens and ducks; Sweet fragrant snow wine is suitable for beet. ?

Eight, identification methods

(1) Color: Good yellow rice wine is orange in color, clear and transparent, and a small amount of protein precipitation is allowed; And turbidity, impurities and the like. It should be considered inferior product.

(2) Smell: The better yellow rice wine has the unique aroma of yellow rice wine, which is mellow and has no other peculiar smell; Inferior yellow rice wine is made of alcohol. There is no smell of raw materials, no mixed gas such as alcohol gas and acetic acid gas, and even a pungent alcohol smell.

(3) Handfeel test: pour a small amount of wine into the palm of your hand, and the brewed yellow wine has a very strong greasy feeling and is very sticky after drying; The tentacles of the prepared yellow rice wine only feel like water, but they don't feel sticky when they are dry.

(4) Price comparison: The better yellow rice wine is brewed with pure glutinous rice, and the yield is low. After three to five years or even longer aging, the price is generally not very cheap, so low-priced aged yellow rice wine needs attention.

(5) Taste: Good yellow rice wine tastes mellow and smooth, with typical yellow rice wine flavor, no different from miscellaneous taste. Inferior yellow rice wine is not refreshing, lacking the refreshing and mellow quality of high-quality yellow rice wine, and there are often other miscellaneous flavors such as alcohol, Qing Xiang, water, burnt bitterness and so on.

Introduction of Famous Wine (1) Zhejiang Huadiao Wine

Shaoxing is a famous hometown of yellow rice wine at home and abroad. Yellow rice wine represents China culture, Shaoxing flower carving is the essence of yellow rice wine, and "Daughter Red" is the icing on the cake of Shaoxing flower carving. The wine name of "Daughter Red" comes from the popular folklore of marrying wine.

Legend has it that a long time ago, there was a tailor in the countryside of Shaoxing, and his wife was about to give birth. He thought that his wife must be pregnant with your son, and when his son is born, he must celebrate. He specially invited a famous winemaker to brew several jars of rice wine, and prepared to entertain relatives and friends then. However, contrary to expectations, the wife gave birth to a daughter, just like pouring a pot of cold water on the tailor's head, and the wine was not invited to drink, and it was all buried under the tree behind the house. Time flies. When the tailor's daughter grows up, she is beautiful, smart and very likable. The happy tailor married her to her favorite apprentice. On his wedding day, he was having a banquet, when he suddenly remembered several jars of old wine buried under the tree more than ten years ago and dug them up. When the altar was opened, the aroma was overflowing, which made people want to drink, and the aftertaste of drinking was endless. The guests at the dining table have never tasted such an old wine with orange-red color and mellow taste, and they all admire: "Daughter is red, and a fairy is born in the boudoir." Since then, many families in Shaoxing have given birth to girls, and when their daughters get married, they have to brew "daughter red" and bury it underground to entertain guests. At that time, wine aroma was rich, amber in color and mellow in taste, which was the best product of Shaoxing yellow wine aging. "Daughter Red" wine got its name. This custom was very popular in the Tang Dynasty. There is a poem about drinking this kind of wine in the Notes of the Qing Dynasty: "Yue Nv makes the wine rain, which makes you happy when you give birth to a girl instead of a boy. My daughter lives in Donghu East, and the pearl spring night is red. " After 18, 8 and 5 years of aging, this wine is naturally mellow.

(2) Laojiu, Fujian

Any red rice wine brewed from glutinous rice aged for more than one year is generally called "old wine". Fujian old wine, formerly known as "Mayred" wine, is a typical representative of Fujian red kojic rice wine, which was once known as the first rice wine in China. In order to highlight the characteristics of Fujian, 1958 was named "Fujian Laojiu" and its registered trademark was "Gushan" brand. On holidays, many Fujian people have several bottles of Fujian old wine. Generate, the "three lanes and seven lanes" in Fuzhou, gives a refreshing and intoxicating fragrance of Fujian old wine. As the saying goes, "a hundred people get drunk when you open an altar and wash an urn."

The brewing history of Fujian red rice wine can be traced back to the Song Dynasty. Scholars at that time were particularly fond of Fujian red rice wine. When Su Shi, a writer in the Northern Song Dynasty, lived in Lingnan, he was bored and depressed at night. He liked to drink some Fujian red rice wine and left a poem: "Last year, the wine night in Fujian was as red as Dan." The Fujian wine here is Fujian red rice wine. Fan Chengda, a poet in the Southern Song Dynasty, wrote a poem "Eat a Book" praising old wine: "Litchi is plum green, cardamom is apricot red. My stomach is full of tea and my head is in old wine. " The poem praises litchi, tea and old wine, which are the specialties of Fujian.

Academics praised Fujian old wine. Professor Zhu Baoyong of Wuxi Institute of Light Industry praised: "Fujian old wine is the first yellow wine with good color and flavor in China." Zhu Mei and Qi Zhidao, the predecessors of China's fermentation technology, praised in the article "Fujian Brewing Industry of China's Primitive Monascus": "Hongqu Liquor is a unique wine in China, and it is a sister wine with Zhejiang Yellow Rice Wine. One red and one yellow are equally famous, and it is the two great creations of China ... but the most famous wine is Hongqu Liquor, which is also one of the most famous wines in China."

(3) Jiujiang aged sealed wine

Jiangxi traditional famous wine originated in Tang Chaoyuan 1000 years ago and was called fermented wine at that time. Fermented wine is rice wine that has not been pressed and filtered. Why is fermented wine later called aged sealed wine? There is an interesting folklore in it.

One year, the Queen Mother gave a banquet and held a "Flat Peach Festival" in Yaochi to entertain immortals from all walks of life. Hearing that Jiujiang's fermented grains are delicious and mellow, the earth god brought an altar when he went to the flat peach party, ready to invite all the immortals to taste them together. At the banquet, delicacies, nectar, exotic fruits and delicacies were all available, and the Queen Mother proudly invited the immortals to have a drink. After a drink, the earth god remembered the wine he had brought, so he asked his entourage to open it. He wants to taste it himself first, and then invite the fairy to taste it. Who knows that when the jar was opened, the mellow smell of wine got into the noses of the big immortals from all directions. Before the land god tasted it himself, everyone rushed forward. You grabbed a bowl and he grabbed a bowl. However, the queen mother's jade liquid and nectar were left out in the cold. Seeing that the wine on earth has surpassed the fairy wine in the sky, the Queen Mother felt humiliated, annoyed, ashamed and very angry. She ordered the land god to seal all the jars in Jiujiang, and no one was allowed to drink them. Seeing that he had made such a big disaster, the land god trembled with fear and kept kowtowing and repenting. Before the end of the banquet, the memorandum rushed to the world lifeline sealing cylinder, and offenders would be beheaded. Hearing this, the people were angry and hated, but they had no choice but to bear the seal and seal the wine bottle. After one year, two years, ... five years, people who are used to drinking fermented wine can't help it. A brave man secretly opened the seal and found that the fermented wine after sealing the altar was as sweet as dew and its color changed from light yellow to amber. This discovery surprised and delighted him. Told it to his good friend in secret. So the news spread like wildfire and everyone opened it. When the land god saw that the queen mother had forgotten this matter, he turned a blind eye and was happy. Since then, fermented wine has been named "aged sealed wine". There is a folk song that once summed it up. The folk song says, "Jade liquid and dew in the sky are not as good as Jiujiang sealing the altar. The color is fresh and fragrant, sweet, and angry with the Queen Mother. "