Huangjiu


Huangjiu is a type of Chinese rice wine most popular in the Jiangnan area. Huangjiu is brewed by mixing steamed grains including rice, glutinous rice or millet with qū as starter culture, followed by saccharification and fermentation at around for fortnights. Its alcohol content is typically 8% to 20%.
Huangjiu is usually pasteurized, aged, and filtered before its final bottling for sale to consumers. The maturation process can be complicated but important for the development of the layers of flavors and fragrance. A few brands of premium grade huangjiu could have been aged for up to 20 years. As huangjiu's name suggests, its typical color is typically light yellow and orange, but it can in fact range from clear to brown. Many famous huangjiu brands promote the quality of water used in brewing in their advertising, and some consider it to be the most important ingredient.
The drink is commonly consumed warm, as the richness from the flavor compounds are released better when warm. In summer, it is popular to drink sweet huangjiu chilled or on ice. Liaojiu is a type of huangjiu used in cooking, an example of this being the liaojiu-type of Shaoxing rice wine. Major producers of huangjiu include mainland China and Taiwan.

History

Huangjiu in Chinese society had perhaps the same level of influence as beer in the European societies throughout history. Archeology has established that ancient Chinese people once brewed some form of alcohol similar to beer in China, however with the invention of the brewing method using qu, ''huangjiu rapidly replaced the prototypic beer in ancient China and beer-like beverages fell out of fashion as the ancient Chinese drinkers preferred tastes of huangjiu. As beer was completely forgotten in China until the 19th century, when the Germans reintroduced a brewery in Qingdao which later became the producer of today's famous Tsingtao beer, huangjiu has always been the nation's favorite type of brewed alcoholic beverage.
The earliest form of huangjiu was supposedly devized by Du Kang during the reign of Shaokang of the Xia. Dukang was subsequently deified as the Chinese god of wine. His son Heita is sometimes said to have accidentally invented Zhenjiang vinegar when his forgetfulness allowed a vat to spoil.
Today, huangjiu has a great presence throughout China, especially in the Jiangnan area. Most well-known huangjiu'' varieties include Guyue longshan, Kuaijishan and Tapai from Shaoxing, Huiquan jiu from Wuxi.

''Huangjiu'' varieties

Huangjiu is produced widely throughout China, in a variety of styles, which reflect the wine's sugar content, the starter/innoculent used, and its production method.

Dryness/Sweetness

This is the formal classification for all Chinese wines. There are five categories: dry, semidry, semisweet, sweet, and extra-sweet.
  • Dry : with sugar content no greater than 1%. This type of rice wine has the lowest fermentation temperature. An example of this kind is Yuanhongjiu, a specialty of Shaoxing, so-named because being successful in the imperial examination is a great cause for celebration and fame and as well, traditionally the wine jars are painted red.
  • Semidry : with sugar content between 1% and 3%. This type of huangjiu can be stored for a long period of time and encompasses most of the varieties of huangjiu that are exported from China. An example of this variety is Jiafanjiu, a variation on the Yuanhongjiu that involves adding more rice in fermentation. The jiafanjiu is traditionally used for ceremonies, such as child birth, engagement, and funerals.
  • Semisweet : with sugar content between 3% and 10%. The longer the semisweet huangjiu is stored, the darker its color becomes. This variety of huangjiu cannot be stored for long periods of time. An example of this kind is Shanniangjiu, a specialty of Shaoxing which partly uses vintage Yuanhongjiu instead of water.
  • Sweet : with sugar content between 10% and 20%. An example of this variety is Feng Gang Jiu. In comparison to previous types of huangjiu, sweet huangjiu can be manufactured all year round when using traditional production methods.
  • Extra-sweet : with sugar content equal or greater than 20%. An example of this variety is Xiang Xue Jiu.

    Starter/Inoculant

  • Xiaoqu : Wines inoculated using rice cultured with Rhizopus, yeast, and other microorganisms. The mixture generates less heat, so they are mostly used in southern China.
  • Daqu : Wines inoculated using rice cultured with Aspergillus oryzae and yeast. Almost all popular alcoholic drinks in China belong to this type.
  • Hongqu : Wines that are flavored and colored with Monascus purpureus or other red rice molds of the genus Monascus.

    Production methods

  • Tangfan : The steamed rice used to make the wine is cooled in the open air until it is still relatively warm before processing.
  • Liangfan : The steamed rice used to make the wine is quenched with cold water before further processing. The unfiltered mash for this wine is sometimes eaten as a dessert or used as an inoculant for other Chinese wines.
  • Jiafan : Steamed rice is continuously fed into a fermenting mixture, which produces a sweeter wine.
  • Fortified: Baijiu is added to the fermenting mash, which increases the concentration of alcohol in the mash and halts the fermentation process. This leaves a significant quantity of unfermented sugars, thus producing an especially sweet tasting wine.

    Types

Some of the most popular huangjiu include:
  • Mijiu is the generic name for Chinese fermented rice wine, similar to Japanese sake. It is generally clear, and is used for both drinking and cooking. Mijiu intended for cooking is generally of lower grade and often contains 1.5% salt. The alcohol content by volume of mijiu is typically 12–19.5%.
  • Fujian Laojiu
  • Su-shi Laojiu : Huiquan jiu is iconic of this type of huangjiu.
  • Fujian Nuomijiu : made by adding a long list of expensive Chinese medicinal herbs to glutinous rice and a low alcohol distilled rice wine. The unique brewing technique uses another wine as raw material, instead of starting with water. The wine has an orange-red color. Alcohol content by volume: 18%.
  • Jiafan jiu
  • Huadiao jiu, also known as nu'er hong : a variety of huangjiu that originates from Shaoxing, in the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang. It is made of glutinous rice and wheat. This wine evolved from the Shaoxing tradition of burying nu'er hong underground when a daughter was born, and digging it up for the wedding banquet when the daughter was to be married. The containers would be decorated with bright colors as a wedding gift. To make the gift more appealing, people began to use pottery with flowery carvings and patterns. Huadiao jiu's alcohol content is 16% by volume.
  • Shaoxing jiu It is commonly used both for drinking and in Chinese cooking. The reddish color of these wines is imparted by red yeast rice. One prominent producer of Shaoxing wine is Zhejiang Guyue Longshan Shaoxing Wine Co., Ltd. of Shaoxing, Zhejiang. It is not uncommon for some varieties of Shaoxing wine to be aged for 50 years or more.
  • Honglu jiu is produced in Taiwan, while Shaoxing wine is made in Fujian Province. In the 1910s, three businessmen produced Chinese red rice wine aged longer than other manufacturers in Taiwan by using higher ratio of glutinous rice content. They branded their top and the second grade products as 老紅金雞, or literary Golden Rooster, and 老紅酒黃雞, or literary Yellow Rooster. After World War II, Yellow Rooster was renamed as Hong lu jiu.
  • Liaojiu is a lower grade of huangjiu widely used in Chinese cuisine as a cooking wine. Often it is sold flavored and seasoned with various herbs, such as cloves, star anise, cassia, black cardamom, Sichuan pepper, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.

    Production

Ingredients

The three main ingredients of Chinese alcoholic beverages are the grain, water, and qu. Other ingredients may also be added to alter the color, taste, or medicinal properties of the final product.
During their creation, storage, or presentation, Chinese alcoholic beverages may be flavored or seasoned. Use of fruit is rare, particularly compared with Korean wines, but medicinal herbs, flowers, and spices are much more common. Well-known examples include cassia wine and realgar wine.

Grains

The earliest grains domesticated in China were millet in the north and rice in the south. Both are still employed in production of alcohol. Modern production also employs wheat, barley, sorghum, and coixseed.
For huangjiu, the grains are degermed and polished of their bran. They are then soaked and acidified with the aid of lactobacillus or through the addition of lactic acid into the soaking liquid. This process produces a taste and mouth-feel distinct from other forms of rice wine.

Water

Water hydrates the grains and enables fermentation. The pH and mineral content of the water also contribute to the flavor and quality of the drink. Many regions are famous not only for their alcoholic beverages but also for the flavor and quality of their water sources. Emphasis is placed on gathering the cleanest water directly from springs or streams or from the center of lakes, where the water has been exposed to the least amount of pollutants. Water should be low in iron and sodium, with a higher proportion of magnesium and calcium ions as part of its total mineral content.