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). Brewing technology is unique and has become a typical representative and model of oriental brewing industry. Among them, China Shaoxing yellow rice wine is the oldest and most representative product in yellow rice wine. It is a grain wine brewed with rice as raw material. Unlike white wine, yellow rice wine has not been distilled, and its alcohol content is less than 20%. Different kinds of yellow rice wine also show different beige, brown or reddish brown. Shandong Jimo old wine is a typical representative of northern millet yellow wine; Fujian Longyan Shenjiu and Fujian Laojiu are typical representatives of red rice wine.

According to the sugar content of yellow rice wine, it can be divided into the following four categories:

1, dry yellow rice wine:

"Dry" means that the sugar content in the wine is low, the total sugar content is lower than or equal to 15.0 g/L, the taste is mellow, fresh and refreshing, and there is no peculiar smell.

2. Semi-dry yellow rice wine:

"Semi-dry" means that all the sugar in wine is not fermented into alcohol, and some sugar remains. In production, this kind of wine is also called "rice wine" because it uses less water, which is equivalent to increasing the amount of rice when stirring. The total sugar content is15.0g/L-40.0g/L. Most of the high-grade yellow rice wine in China belongs to this type, which is mellow, soft, fresh and refreshing, and has no peculiar smell.

3. Semi-sweet yellow rice wine:

This wine adopts a unique technology, in which the finished yellow rice wine is added to the fermented mash instead of water, so that the alcohol concentration in the fermented mash reaches a high level in the initial stage of saccharification and fermentation, and the growth rate of yeast is inhibited to some extent. Due to the small number of yeast, the sugar produced in the fermented mash can not be converted into alcohol, so the finished wine has a high sugar content. The total sugar content is 40. 1g/L- 100g/L, the taste is mellow, sweet and refreshing, the wine body is harmonious and there is no peculiar smell.

4. Sweet yellow rice wine:

This wine is generally made by pouring rice, mixing it with medicinal liquor, making a nest, adding 40-50% rice wine or distiller's grains when saccharifying to a certain extent, inhibiting saccharification and fermentation of microorganisms, with a total sugar content higher than 100 g/L, fresh and sweet taste, mellow body and no peculiar smell.

2. Classification of yellow rice wine in the latest national standards.

In the latest national standards, yellow rice wine is defined as all kinds of yellow rice wine made by steaming rice, millet, black rice, corn and wheat, mixing with wheat koji, rice koji or medicinal liquor, and saccharifying and fermenting.

Yellow rice wine is divided into the following six categories according to sugar content:

Dry yellow rice wine: "dry" means that the sugar content in the wine is low, and all the sugar is fermented into alcohol, so the sugar content in the wine is the lowest. In the latest national standard, the sugar content is less than 1.00g/ 100 ml (calculated by glucose). This wine belongs to thin mash fermentation, and the total amount of water added is about three times that of raw rice. The fermentation temperature is controlled low, and the time interval between harrowing and stirring is short. Yeast grows vigorously, so the fermentation is thorough and the residual sugar is very low. In Shaoxing, the representative of dry yellow wine is "Yuan red wine".

According to the raw materials and koji

1. Yellow rice wine

Wine and wheat koji are used as saccharifying agent and starter. Mainly produced in southern China.

3. Xiaomi rice wine

Bran koji made by Aspergillus oryzae was used as saccharifying starter. Mainly produced in northern China.

3. Rice and yellow wine.

It is an improved yellow rice wine, with Mitraga yeast as saccharifying starter. Location: China, Jilin and Shandong.

4. Red yeast rice wine

Using glutinous rice as raw material and red yeast as saccharifying starter. Location: China, Fujian and Zhejiang.