Red yeast wine is a wine fermented by adding glutinous rice with red yeast and white yeast. Its red color is the result of natural fermentation of red yeast enzyme. Moreover, Monascus enzyme also contains natural statins that lower blood fat, blood pressure, cholesterol and prevent cancer. It is a health wine with excellent health care effects. Red yeast wine originally originated in Zhejiang, and later spread to Fujian and other places. It was used by Fujian people as a postpartum confinement wine for women. They stew it with fish, meat or chicken and eat it. It has the functions of strengthening the spleen, warming the stomach, and warming the body. It has the functions of neutralizing, dispelling cold, dehumidifying, activating blood circulation and removing blood clots. It has good effects on postpartum lochia and promoting physical recovery of postpartum women. Red yeast rice wine belongs to rice wine, and its brewing method is basically the same as rice wine.

The following will explain in detail the home brewing method of red yeast wine and the key points for success, and teach you how to brew high-quality red yeast wine. There are many brewing methods for red yeast wine, and there are three common ones. One is the direct fermentation method of red yeast rice mixed with rice, the second is the direct fermentation method of red yeast rice mixed with white yeast rice, and the third is the nesting and saccharification method of white yeast rice mixed with rice. Then add water and red yeast for fermentation. Each of these three brewing methods of red yeast wine has its own advantages. Now I will introduce to you the second brewing method. This is also the brewing method of Fuzhou green red wine. The locals call it the lazy brewing method. The red wine brewed by this method Qujiu wine appears green at the top and red at the bottom under strong light, so it is called green and red wine.

The best season for brewing red yeast wine is around the Beginning of Winter Solstice and Qingming Festival. The optimal room temperature is about 20 degrees. When it is too cold, it is not easy to ferment and needs to be heated. If the fermentation speed is too fast when it is hot, it will easily become sour, and the wine will not be made but will become vinegar.

1. What kind of water is good for brewing red yeast wine

The quality of wine has a great relationship with the water quality. It is best to use deep well water after the beginning of winter to brew red yeast wine, so Some people also call red yeast wine winter water wine. After confirming that the deep well water is relatively clean, brewing experts like to use raw deep well water to make wine directly. However, if you are not sure, it is better to boil it and then let it cool down. If there is no deep well water, boil ordinary water and let it cool before use. You can also use purified water or mineral water.

Let’s start with a formal introduction to the home brewing method of red yeast wine. The preparation of this kind of wine is actually as simple and easy as rice wine, but in order to ensure that everyone can successfully make delicious and high-quality red yeast wine, I tried to be as detailed as possible during the introduction. I hope you won’t be intimidated by too many words. Ingredients: 4 pounds of glutinous rice, 5 to 10 grams of red yeast rice, 3 to 4 grams of white yeast rice, and 100 to 120 grams of water. Preparation: After preparing all the above materials, prepare a container for fermentation. It is best to use a ceramic wine jar. If you do not have a ceramic wine jar, you can use a glass jar or other container. Wash the container clean, then disinfect it with boiling water and dry it.

1. Steps to make red yeast wine:

① Wash the glutinous rice and soak it in water for about 12 hours.

② While soaking the rice, boil the water, pour it into the prepared wine jar and let it cool down naturally. When it drops to about 35 degrees, add the red yeast rice to soak it, and set aside a small handful of red yeast rice for later use. Baiqu is crushed into powder for later use.

When the rice grains are soaked until they can be easily crushed by hand, wash and drain, add hot water at the same level as the glutinous rice, put it in a steamer and steam until the glutinous rice is cooked, and twist it with your hands to remove the white core. .

④Put the steamed glutinous rice out and let it cool. While waiting for the glutinous rice to cool down, add the white koji to the soaked red koji and stir evenly.

⑤The cooling temperature of the glutinous rice should be judged according to the room temperature at that time. For example, when the room temperature is 20 degrees, it is enough to cool to about 35 degrees. At this time, the glutinous rice can be moved into the wine jar and stir evenly.

⑥Sprinkle the remaining red yeast rice on top, cover the mouth of the jar but do not seal it to prevent dust from falling into the jar.

⑦At this time, the temperature in the jar should be around 30 degrees, which is the best temperature to start fermentation. In order to maintain this temperature for a long time, we need to cover it with something like a quilt or blanket to keep it warm. When the room temperature is low, we also need to put a hot water bottle underneath. If you have an electric blanket at home, you can wrap the jar with an electric blanket.

⑧When the indoor temperature is about 20 degrees and the fermentation temperature in the jar is normal, the fermentation will reach its peak in about 2 days. At this time, you will see bubbling in the jar. , just like the water has been boiled, now we can remove the insulation materials, because the temperature generated by the fermentation itself can already maintain the temperature required for normal fermentation.

⑨ During the subsequent fermentation period, use clean chopsticks or spoons to press the floating rice grains below the water surface every day until there are no more floating rice grains in the jar. The fermentation process is complete.

⑩ Seal the mouth of the jar and enter the post-fermentation period. The fermentation will continue for about 20 to 30 days before the wine juice can be filtered out. At this time, the red yeast wine has been initially brewed, and the filtered wine juice can be drunk directly. However, if you want to drink better red yeast wine, you must use the following method for aging.

?Put the filtered wine juice into a ceramic wine jar. After sealing, use pasteurization to sterilize it. That is to immerse the jar in hot water of about 65 degrees and maintain this temperature for more than 30 minutes. .

?The sterilized red yeast wine can be stored in a cool, ventilated place for long-term storage. If it is well sealed, it can be stored for several years without deterioration, and the longer the red yeast wine is stored, the more mellow it will be.

2. Precautions for brewing red yeast wine:

① It is best to use ceramic wine jars as the container for brewing wine. The red wine brewed and stored in such jars is very mellow. If you use a light-transmitting container, be careful to avoid light during fermentation and storage, because light will affect the quality and taste of the wine, and it will also turn the color of the wine to brown.

② Disinfection is the most critical point in the entire brewing process. The containers and tools used must be disinfected in place to ensure that there is no grease or raw water on them, otherwise it will easily lead to fermentation failure.

③The total amount of materials in the jar should not exceed 2/3 of the jar, and some space for fermentation should be left.

④The distiller’s grains filtered out when making red yeast wine are called red grains. It is an important seasoning often used in Fuzhou home-cooked dishes. The dishes made are rich in nutrients and bright in color.

⑤ In addition to drinking the brewed red yeast wine directly, it can also be used as cooking wine or made into dishes. The dishes not only taste delicious, but also have a beautiful color, such as red yeast wine. Roast eggs, roasted chicken with red yeast wine, or roasted noodles with red yeast wine, etc. These are all must-eat foods for Fujianese women during confinement.

⑥ It is normal for the brewed red yeast wine to be slightly sour, because some organic acids will inevitably be produced during the fermentation process. Therefore, it has been said since ancient times that wine cannot be made without acid. But if the acidity is excessive, there is a problem. It is caused by improper disinfection or the temperature during the later fermentation process is too high.

⑦The red yeast wine made according to the above proportion is about 20 degrees. I measured it with a wine meter bought on Taobao.

⑧Red yeast is an indispensable key material for brewing red yeast wine. It is not clear what role white yeast plays in it, but delicious red yeast wine can be brewed without white yeast.

⑨ The ratio of glutinous rice to water is also critical. Too little water will not ferment easily, and too much water will easily produce a bitter taste. 1 pound of glutinous rice should not be less than 10 pounds of water, and should not exceed 12 pounds at most. A pound of water.

⑩After the fermentation is started normally, some people say that the floating rice grains should be pressed down once a day, while others say that you should try not to care about it. The fermentation is over when the rice grains sink by themselves. In this way The brewed red yeast wine is even more delicious. I haven't tried the latter method, but those who are interested can try it themselves. It is said that people who don't know how to drink can make good wine for this reason.

?When filtering red yeast wine, you don’t need to press hard, just let it drip naturally, because the remaining red yeast wine will not be thrown away, and leaving some wine juice in it is not a waste. .

?The filtered red lees can also be used to make shochu. Mix the rice bran and lees in a ratio of 1:5. Fill the pot with water, set up a large steamer on top, and put Place the mixed mixture in a steamer and steam over high heat.

The alcohol produced by the lees turns into gas, condenses and flows into a special sake collecting container, becoming soju.