Natural brewing
In ancient times, agriculture had not yet arisen, and our ancestors lived a life in which women picked wild fruits and men hunted. Sometimes the picked wild fruits can't be eaten, so they are stored. Because there is no fresh-keeping method, the fermentable sugar contained in wild fruit will ferment when it meets the mold and yeast in the air, resulting in the fruit having a bouquet and smell. This phenomenon of natural fermentation made the ancestors have a vague understanding of fermented wine, and after a long time, they accumulated experience in making wine with wild fruits. Although this wild fruit wine is not called yellow wine, it provides a rare inspiration for future generations to brew yellow wine.
Grain brewing
Time has advanced for thousands of years, and the Chinese nation has begun the primitive farming era. About 6,000 years ago in the Neolithic Age, simple labor tools were enough to keep our ancestors warm, eat, and eat, and there was a surplus. However, it is difficult to completely store food under harsh living conditions, and the remaining food can only be piled up in damp caves or cellars. After a long time, the grain will be mildewed and germinated. Mildew grain is soaked in water and naturally fermented into wine, which is a natural grain wine. Drink it, it's sweet and fragrant. After thousands of years of exploration, people gradually mastered some wine-making skills.
Jiang Tong of Jin Dynasty said in "Wine": "The food is inexhaustible, and it is handed over to the empty mulberry, and it becomes a taste after a long time." For this reason, this is not surprising. "It is said to be the origin of grain brewing yellow rice wine.
Daqu liquor making
China is the first country in the world to make wine with Qu medicine. The discovery, artificial production and application of Quyao can probably be traced back to the Xia Dynasty in 2000 BC to the Qin Dynasty in 200 BC, that is, 1800.
According to archaeological excavations, our ancestors had mastered the law of microbial "mold" biological reproduction as early as the period of Wu Ding in Yin and Shang Dynasties, and were able to use grain to make koji as medicine and ferment yellow rice wine.
During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the development of agriculture provided complete raw materials for brewing yellow rice wine, and people's brewing technology was further developed on the basis of summarizing the predecessors' "rice must be neat and koji must be timely". During the Qin and Han dynasties, the technology of brewing yellow wine with koji medicine was improved again. "Food Record" contains: "Two sticks of coarse rice are used for one brew, and six sticks and six measures of wine are obtained." This is the earliest existing formula for brewing yellow rice wine with rice koji medicine in China. "Notes on Water Classics" also said: "There is a Linghu Lake in Lingxian County and a continent in the lake. People on the mainland give it money, and the wine is beautiful. This is the so-called spirit wine. " At that time, there was a brand awareness in people's minds-drinking yellow wine must be the first wine to be promoted, and wine is famous all over the world, which is the representative of brewing yellow wine with Qu medicine.
The unique koji-making methods and brewing techniques of Han nationality have been widely spread to Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia. The invention and application of Quyao is the pride of the Han nationality and the great achievement of the Chinese nation to mankind. It is known as the "fifth great invention" besides the four great inventions in ancient times.
Yellow rice wine originated in Hengyang.
Yellow rice wine is a national specialty, which belongs to brewing wine and is only found in China. When it comes to yellow rice wine, people almost always think of Shaoxing, Zhejiang, which is the birthplace of yellow rice wine. In fact, the birthplace of yellow rice wine is Hengyang, Hunan.
Jiang Yanfeng, an associate professor at Hunan Normal University and a researcher at Hunan Economic Development Research Center, expressed his unique views in the article on Huxiang Library Wine. Jiang Yanfeng believes that the history of cereals in Zhejiang can be traced back to the mid-Hemudu culture 6000 years ago, while the agricultural cultivation with rice as the mainstay in Hunan can be traced back to 8250-9 100 years ago. Archaeological findings show that Pengtoushan site is the earliest ancient rice planting place in the world, and grains are needed to brew yellow wine, while ancient rice planting first appeared in Hunan, indicating that Hunan was the first to have the conditions for brewing wine.
At the same time, the Shang bronze wine vessel "Niu Zun" unearthed in Hengyang, the "convex bronze wine vessel" in the Spring and Autumn Period and the silkworm tattoo statue in the Spring and Autumn Period are all national first-class cultural relics comparable to the Siyangfang statue. These beautifully made pottery wine vessels show that Hengyang has advanced wine-making technology, and drinking has become an important life custom at that time.
According to allusions, the brewing technology of Hengyang ancient wine is basically the same as that of the current yellow rice wine, which also shows that the wine in Hengyang in the past is the current yellow rice wine.
Jiang Yanfeng also found that Shaoxing wine has a history of more than 2,500 years, while Hengyang Zan wine (also known as Ganhu wine and Zan wine) has a history of more than 3,000 years, even earlier than Shaoxing yellow rice wine. Therefore, this can be done.
develop
The Chinese nation has experienced a long history and a long history, and gradually accumulated experience in grain brewing in the continuous production practice, making the brewing technology of yellow rice wine more and more perfect. First, inherit Wu culture's "Soviet-style old wine"
Yellow rice wine is one of the most typical representatives of Wuyue culture, which has a history of more than two thousand years. As we all know, Wu culture represented by Huiquan yellow rice wine and Yue culture represented by Shaoxing yellow rice wine are two excellent schools with different styles in China yellow rice wine culture.
According to Historical Records, Wu Yue Chun Qiu and other books, Wuxi, as the birthplace of Wu culture, has a brewing history of more than 2,000 years. Amin Feng Menglong wrote the name "Huishan Spring Wine" in Awakening the World. During the Qing dynasty, Huiquan wine was a tribute of the emperor. 1722, Emperor Kangxi died and Yongzheng succeeded to the throne. When Cao Xueqin was the father of Jiangning weaving, he once sent 40 jars of Huiquan wine to Beijing at one time. It is not surprising that Wuxi Huiquan wine has become the drinking wine of the famous family Jiafu.
Hui Quan yellow rice wine, as a model of Soviet-style old wine, takes Jiangnan underground spring water and Jiangnan high-quality glutinous rice as raw materials, and mainly adopts semi-sweet yellow rice wine brewing technology. After thousands of years of cultural accumulation and technological improvement, it has finally become a famous wine in the south of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty and a famous wine in the Qing Dynasty, completing the myth of the development from ordinary folk rice wine to royal rice wine, which has a long history and even spread to this day. In modern times, due to the combination of modern technology and scientific management, the style of "Soviet-style old wine" is more perfect, and its taste is soft and sweet in Wen Ya, which makes people feel refreshed and have a long aftertaste.
Today, with the inheritance, development and prosperity of Wu culture, "Soviet-style old wine" has also become a typical representative of China's diversified yellow wine market, which should be worthy of the reputation of Qianlong Emperor who handed down the title of Wuxi Huiquan wine. 1956 was formed by the merger of more than a dozen local brewing workshops.
Second, "Huiquan": a long-standing Mika cultural wine.
All good wines must have a fragrance. All famous historical wines are bound to inject profound cultural essence.
Huiquan yellow wine, as a typical representative of "Soviet-style old wine", is made from high-quality underground spring water and high-quality glutinous rice in Jiangnan as raw materials, supplemented by the unique brewing technology of Huiquan wine, and has been aged for many years. Its fragrance is peaceful, between exposure and connotation. Shake Huiquan yellow rice wine gently, and a mellow and fragrant aroma naturally seeps into your heart, which is refreshing. The color of wine is amber, crystal clear, bright and shiny. When wine moistens the whole tongue, it feels harmonious, soft, smooth, refreshing and cold, and has a unique flavor. Hui Quan yellow rice wine has a high taste, and it is one of the four famous wines in ancient times. It is known as "handed down from generation to generation" and is deeply loved by social elites and successful people. Therefore, "drinking Hui Quan yellow rice wine and tasting holiday food" has become the current trend, and it is not surprising to decorate a peaceful and happy holiday with a strong holiday color. "Hui Quan" is called "a famous cultural wine comparable to XO" by customers and consumers, and ranks among the "world famous wines" in Japan. At the same time, it is also a national inspection-free product.
Third, Soviet-style old wine originated from Huiquan.
As we all know, Wuxi Hui Quan wine, Shaoxing Jia Fan wine, Danyang Fenggang wine and Fujian Cai Gang wine are called the four famous wines in ancient China. Among them, the people of Wuxi are most proud of Huiquan wine.
There are many springs in Huishan of Wuxi. According to legend, there are thirteen springs in Kowloon. After comments by Lu Yu and Liu Bo in Tang Dynasty, they both regarded Huishan Temple as "the Er Quan in the world", which made them famous all over the world. Since the Northern Song Dynasty, glutinous rice wine brewed with two springs has been called "Huiquan wine", which has a mellow taste and is enduring for a long time. In the Ming Dynasty, Huiquan liquor was famous all over the world. Li Dongyang, a former official minister and a college student of Gaihuatang, once wrote in his poem: "Spring wine in Hui Quan is like a spring, which is widely circulated today"; In the early Qing Dynasty, Huiquan wine became a tribute. Among the items that Jiangning weaves Cao Fu and Suzhou weaves Xu Li to pay tribute to the emperor are "Spring Wine" (namely Hui Quan Wine). Cao Xueqin wrote it in A Dream of Red Mansions.
Wuxi Zhentai Wine Co., Ltd. inherits ancient methods and integrates modern brewing technology, pushing Huiquan yellow wine with a long history to a new height. From material selection to brewing and storage, it is very particular: the raw material must be Jintan first-class white glutinous rice, with round seeds, white color, good waxy property and high wine yield. Therefore, Huiquan wine has the characteristics of amber color, bright and clear, rich aroma and sweet and mellow taste, and stands out among the yellow rice wines in southern Jiangsu. As one of the representative enterprises of yellow rice wine manufacturing in Jiangsu Province, Wuxi Zhentai fully realized the importance of giving Huiquan yellow rice wine unique regional cultural characteristics and put forward the concept of "Soviet-style old wine". This concept not only includes the regional characteristics, product characteristics and taste characteristics of Jiangsu yellow rice wine, but also hopes that the impression of "Wen Ya softness" which conforms to the characteristics of Jiangsu yellow rice wine is different from other factions' yellow rice wine products and more suitable for the local cultural atmosphere.
To know "Soviet-style old wine", we should start with knowing Huiquan wine. As a typical representative of "Soviet-style old wine", Huiquan wine will surely develop together with "Soviet-style old wine"! Yellow rice wine is the oldest wine in China, the ancestor of wine and the king of wine. The brewing technology of yellow rice wine is the highest in the world, and it is a precious scientific and cultural heritage of the motherland.
When did this ancient brewing process begin? There have been different views since ancient times. There are many special wine vessels in Neolithic pottery unearthed in modern times, which give us many imagination and research clues. However, looking through the history of existing books and records, there is no detailed record about the invention of wine. Except for the occasional mention of yellow wine between the lines, the rest are legends all over the folk villages. Although these legends cannot be unified, they can always get a glimpse of one or two.
1 nine planets Zaojiu
China folk rice wine is brewed by the wine star in the sky, and people regard it as the god of brewing. In the Song Dynasty, Dou Ge said in the Book of Wine: "There are wine stars in the sky, and wine has works, which are in harmony with heaven and earth."
There are also many poems about wine in ancient Chinese literary works. "Once"? "Biography of Kong Rong" has the saying that "the sky is full of wine and stars, and the land is in Jiuquan County, and people are virtuous with wine"; Li He's poem "Drinking by the King of Qin" means "leading the way to pour wine and inviting wine stars"; Pi Rixiu's "Ten Poems in Wine in Parallel Order? "Wine Star" has a sigh of "Who sent the wine flag to shine, astronomy ranked its place"; Lu Guimeng's "Ten Poems on the Wind and Wine"? The wine star has the sincerity of "not only offering sacrifices to the Temple of Heaven, but also being invited as a guest star" and so on. This may just be the poet's thinking in images.
There is indeed a "wine flag star" in the sky, which was first seen in the book Zhou Li and has a history of more than 3,000 years. Modern astronomers have found that alcohol molecules exist in the outer space of the universe by analyzing the spectrum of the universe. Are these alcohol molecules volatilized from the earth or formed on other planets? This is still a mystery.
2 Fangxian rice wine
Fangling Yellow Rice Wine has a long history. In ancient times, it was called "Fengjiang Imperial Wine" and "Emperor Phoenix Wine". According to historical records, Shaoxing yellow rice wine was first born in the period of Gou Jian, the King of Yue in 492 BC, and "Fangling yellow rice wine" became "the imperial wine" as early as the Western Zhou Dynasty in 827 BC. Yin Jifu, the world-famous author of The Book of Songs, is from Fangling. The King of Chu sent Yin Jifu, a foreigner, as a messenger to pay tribute to Zhou Xuanwang. Yin Jifu brought an altar of "white grass" (yellow rice wine) of young age to Zhou Xuanwang. The treasure was opened in the upper temple, and the incense filled the temple. Zhou Xuanwang tasted it and praised its beauty. Therefore, it was named "Fengjiang Yujiu". And sent people to repackage the "imperata" provided by Fangling every year in jars of different sizes, and sealed the land according to the "imperata" to reward the princes. Fangxian yellow rice wine flourished in the Tang Dynasty, and Wu Zetian abolished Li Xian, the emperor of Zhongzong, and was exiled to Fangling. After living in Fangling for fourteen years, 720 court craftsmen accompanied him to improve the folk brewing formula in Fangxian County. After Li Xian ascended the throne, rice wine in Fengfang County was called "Imperial Wine of the Yellow Emperor", so it was also called "Imperial Wine". Fangxian yellow rice wine belongs to the northern semi-sweet type, with white or yellowish color, sweet and sour taste. The local people have yellow rice wine all year round, and marriage, funeral, marriage and marriage are all essential. Yellow rice wine is the oldest unique wine in China, and it is known as the "national quintessence". Confucian culture is the most distinctive national culture in China, and it is called "cultural essence". Both have a long history and profound connotations. Yellow rice wine is mild in nature and elegant in style, and its wine culture is simple and heavy, which inherits the beauty of truth, goodness and beauty, loyalty and filial piety. The connotation of Confucianism emphasizes the golden mean, advocates indifference and inaction, and advocates ethics such as benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and trust. After careful appreciation, yellow rice wine and Confucian culture can be described as the same strain, with the same effect.
"golden mean" yellow wine. "The Doctrine of the Mean" said: "The winner is the foundation of the world; Harmony is the way of the world. " Confucianism associates "China" with "harmony" and advocates "harmony is the most important" and "harmony is the most important". The golden mean is impartial and always feasible. The doctrine of the mean is not only an ethical principle, but also a way of communication between people. The golden mean is everywhere, which deeply affects the lives of China people. Yellow rice wine is known as "soft", which coincides with the Confucian doctrine of the mean. Yellow rice wine combines the five flavors of sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, fresh and astringent, and naturally blends to form an unusual "grid", which is unique and amazing. Yellow rice wine has a comprehensive style of harmony, mellow, soft, elegant and refreshing. Just like the "golden mean" nature of China people, it has won people's favor and is known as the "quintessence of China". The "harmony" of rice wine is also consistent with the "building a harmonious society" that we advocate today. The Confucian concepts of "harmony is precious", "ordinary harmony" and "neutralization" of yellow rice wine just give space for the interpretation, development and imagination of modern harmony.
The gift of Renyi rice wine. "Benevolence" is the central category and the highest moral standard of Confucianism. Confucius said, "The benevolent loves others." Self-denial is benevolence, in which benevolence is the goal, and self-denial is the practical way to observe and restore rites. Mencius often talks about paying equal attention to "benevolence and righteousness". "Benevolence" embodies the relationship between people and gains their respect and care on the basis of respecting and caring for others. Yellow rice wine is a kind of substance, which has formed an indissoluble bond with people since ancient times. "Wine is also good, so it is the good and evil of human nature." The influence of wine on people's spirit can make people better or worse. Although wine has advantages and disadvantages, it is beneficial to grasp it moderately. Wine has three functions, one is to relieve fatigue and restore physical strength, the other is to treat diseases and nourish health, and the third is to become a gift. Yellow rice wine bears the functions of releasing people's spirits, keeping Hui Ze healthy, expressing emotions, showing love and enlightening wisdom, which is closely related to the Confucian spiritual realm of advocating "benevolence and righteousness", "harmony between man and nature" and advocating friendly care.
The virtue of "loyalty and filial piety" yellow rice wine. Confucius said, "If you want to stand up and become a person, you want to reach and become a person." Confucius believes that loyalty is manifested in loyalty and honesty in interpersonal communication; Mencius said, "A loyal person is a wise man." Confucius believes that filial piety is the foundation of benevolence. Filial piety is not limited to supporting parents, but should focus on respecting parents and elders. Mencius even advocated: "the old are old, the young are young, and the young are young." These Confucian thoughts of "loyalty and filial piety" reflect the traditional moral civilization in ancient China and are also part of China's virtue. Yellow rice wine is mild in nature and has a lasting fragrance. In the long river of Chinese wine culture, yellow rice wine is praised by China people for its unique gentleness. The cultural custom of yellow rice wine has always been based on the theme of "respecting the old and loving friends, being simple and kind", which is in line with the spirit of "loyalty and filial piety" pursued by Confucianism. Yellow rice wine belongs to brewing wine, and its alcohol content is generally around 15 degrees.
Yellow rice wine, as its name implies, is yellow rice wine. So some people translated the name of yellow rice wine into "yellow rice wine". Actually, this is not appropriate. The color of rice wine is not always yellow. In ancient times, when the filtration technology of wine was not mature, wine was turbid, which was called "white wine" or turbid wine at that time. The color of rice wine is black and red even now, so it can't be understood literally. The essence of rice wine should be made of grain, and it is more appropriate to call it "rice wine" because it can represent grain. Nowadays, "rice wine" is widely used to represent yellow rice wine.
In modern times, yellow rice wine is the general name of grain brewing wine. Liquor brewed from grain (excluding distilled liquor) can be classified as yellow rice wine. Although yellow rice wine is a general term for grain-brewed wine, some folk areas still retain the traditional names of some local brewed and sold wines, such as Jiangxi Shuijiu, Shaanxi Strong Liquor and Tibetan Highland Barley Wine. If they insist that they are yellow rice wine, the locals may not accept it.
In ancient times, "liquor" was a general term for all kinds of liquor. In the historical period before the appearance of distilled liquor, "wine" was brewing wine. After the emergence of distilled shochu, the situation became more complicated. The name "wine" is not only the general name of all wines, but also the general name of grain-brewed wines on some occasions. For example, in Compendium of Materia Medica, Li Shizhen divided the liquor at that time into three categories: liquor, shochu and liquor. Among them, the "wine" part is the wine brewed from whole grains. Since wine is not only the general name of all wines, but also the general name of grain brewing wine, after all, there should be a general name that only includes grain brewing wine. Therefore, the emergence of yellow rice wine as a special name for grain brewing wine is not accidental.
"Yellow rice wine" in Ming Dynasty may refer to rice wine with long brewing time and deep color, which is different from "white wine". The "white wine" in Ming dynasty is not distilled soju now, for example, the "Sanjiu wine" in Ming dynasty is brewed with white rice, white koji and white water, and the brewing time is very short. This wine is cloudy and white. The formation of yellow (or dark brown) of wine is mainly due to Maillard reaction between sugar and amino acids during cooking or storage of wine, resulting in pigment. There are also some pigments made of caramel (called "sugar color") to deepen its color.
In the eleventh volume of "The Order to Raise the Moon" edited by Dai in the Ming Dynasty, it is said: "Those who add less yellow wine and white wine to soju will not be sour after night." From this formulation, we can clearly see the difference between yellow wine, white wine and shochu. Yellow rice wine refers to old wine that has been brewed for a long time, while white wine refers to rice wine that has been brewed for a short time (white koji, that is, rice koji, is generally used as saccharifying starter). In the Ming dynasty, the specificity of the name yellow rice wine was not very strict. Although it can't contain all grains for brewing wine, it can at least include the large-scale wine brewed in southern China in the brewing process. By the Qing Dynasty, although the production of brewed wine was preserved everywhere, Shaoxing's old wine and rice wine were popular all over the country. This kind of wine was sold all over the country at that time, with high quality and generally dark color, which may be related to the final establishment of the name of "Yellow Rice Wine". Because the Qing emperor had a soft spot for Shaoxing wine. In the Qing dynasty, there was a saying that "shochu was forbidden and yellow wine was forbidden". By the time of the Republic of China, yellow rice wine had been basically determined as the general name of grain brewing wine. Yellow rice wine belongs to local wine (domestic wine is called local wine to show that it corresponds to imported foreign wine).