Sweet wine is an alcoholic beverage that uses fruits, nuts, herbs, spices, flowers, and cream to enhance the flavor of the drink; sugar is usually added before bottling, and it is generally very sweet. In China, sweet wine is a food made from glutinous rice or rice that has been fermented with yeast, and is very low in alcohol and high in calories.

In ancient times, sweet wines, whether made from fruits or grains, were differentiated by the presence of dregs, the floating and sinking of the juice, and the turbidity of the wine. In the Tang Dynasty, sweet wines were still full of impurities and had to be pressed and filtered when they were drunk. Tang Li Bai "Jinling wine shop to leave" poem has "the wind blowing willow full of store incense, Wu Ji pressure wine persuade guests to taste" line, that is, as a proof.

Sweet wine, also known as rice wine, wine, mash, the main raw material is glutinous rice, brewing process is simple, sweet and mellow taste, ethanol content is very small, so it is very popular. In the production of some dishes, glutinous rice wine is often used as an important seasoning. Glutinous rice wine is also known as "red wine" because of its light red color, and "water wine" because it is infiltrated with boiling water. This kind of home-brewed glutinous rice wine has a mellow and sweet flavor, and is less irritating; drinking the right amount of it can soothe and invigorate the muscles and strengthen the body. Farmers must use this wine when celebrating festivals or entertaining guests. The leftover dregs of winemaking, plus salt and mix, called "bad hemp". People store it as a long time to cook soup, but also some people cook it with fresh fish, the flavor is excellent.

According to U.S. federal law, sweet wines (Cordials) and liqueurs (Liqueurs) have the same meaning, and no matter which word is used, Americans in general always believe that sweet wines are made with more than 2.5 percent sucrose or glucose.

Hunan has a specialty also called sweet wine is steamed with glutinous rice plus wine medicine son brewed, because of the sweet and so-called. Sweet wine is prevalent in the Yiyang area, and most people use sweet wine to treat guests at the Spring Festival. For those who have expensive guests, sweet wine is boiled in boiling water with sugar and then washed with eggs, commonly known as "sweet wine tea". It symbolizes the sweet relationship between guests and hosts. Taojiang, Anhua area every happy event to receive guests, must be sweet wine tea hospitality.