Shaoxing wine
one of the most famous varieties of huangjiu, or traditional Chinese wines
Shaoxing wine (alternatively spelled Shaohsing, Hsiaohsing, or Shaoshing) is a variety of Chinese Huangjiu ("yellow wine") made by fermenting glutinous rice, water, and wheat-based yeast.
It is produced in Shaoxing, in the Zhejiang of eastern China, and is widely used as both a beverage and a cooking wine in Chinese cuisine. It is internationally well known and renowned throughout mainland China, as well as in Taiwan and Southeast Asia.
The content of peptides in Shaoxing wine is high; however, their potential taste properties have not yet been studied.
Production
The traditional method involves manually stirring rice mash with a type of wooden hoe every four hours, to help the yeast break down the sugars evenly. Known as kāi pá (Chinese: 開耙), it is an essential skill to produce wine neither bitter nor sour. Another important skill of the winemaker is to assess the fermentation by listening to the vat for the sound of bubbling.
In addition to glutinous rice, Shaoxing wine can also be produced with sorghum or millet.
It is also bottled for domestic consumption and for shipping internationally. Aged wines are referred to by year of brewing, similar to grape vintage year (Chinese: 陳年; pinyin: chén nián).
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