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Chinese · VI The Beverage Tradition

Yuanhong Huangjiu (元红酒)

Shaoxing, Zhejiang

‹ The Beverage Tradition

I

Origin

Yuanhong is the foundation style of Shaoxing huangjiu, the yellow rice wine of the Jiangnan lowlands around Shaoxing in Zhejiang, a region whose brewing rests on the still water of Jian Lake and a long local habit of fermenting in winter. Huangjiu itself is among the oldest fermented drinks of China, and the Shaoxing tradition is carried by the town's family and cooperative brewers, who make it both for the table and, in its cheaper grades, for the kitchen. Dunlop, in Land of Fish and Rice, treats Shaoxing wine as the indispensable cooking wine of the Jiangnan table, and yuanhong is the dry style from which the sweeter jiafan, shanniang and xiangxue are distinguished. Shaoxing huangjiu is a registered Geographical Indication, and the name applies only to wine made in the demarcated area.

II

Description

Yuanhong, literally the original red, is the driest of the Shaoxing styles, named for the red paper once pasted on the jars. It is brewed from glutinous rice Oryza sativa var. glutinosa, wheat-based starter, and water drawn from Jian Lake. Rice is steamed, mixed with the wheat starter and water, and fermented in open vats through the cold months, when the temperature stays low enough for a slow, even conversion of starch to sugar and alcohol. The wine is pressed, clarified, heated, and aged in sealed earthenware jars. It runs amber to deep brown in the cup, usually about 14 to 16 per cent alcohol, with little residual sugar. Its character is toasted, nutty and faintly caramelised, with a savoury depth rather than sweetness.

III

The Thread

—Both are rice-based brewed wines used in the kitchen to deepen savoury dishes, balancing salt and masking strong smells in fish and meat. Mirin is sweet and low in true wine character, whereas yuanhong is dry, aged and drunk as well as cooked with. Japanese
—Both turn rice into alcohol through a mould-based starter that converts starch to sugar while fermentation proceeds in the same vat. Sake is brewed from polished rice, filtered clear and served mostly pale and cool, while yuanhong is brewed from glutinous rice, aged amber and often served warm. Japanese
—Both are traditional rice wines fermented with a cereal starter and meant to be drunk at the table beside food. Makgeolli is unfiltered, milky and lightly sparkling, while yuanhong is pressed, clarified and aged for depth. Korean
IV

Flavour Context

Yuanhong is drunk warm with the dishes of Jiangnan: drunken chicken, salted and braised pork, river fish and shrimp, and the hairy crab of autumn, where the tradition counts the wine a fitting companion to a cold, rich shellfish. It is also the cook's wine for hongshao braises, steamed fish and marinades, where its dryness and toasted depth lift richness and soften any strong smell without adding sweetness. Its savoury, slightly bitter finish cuts fat and refreshes the palate between mouthfuls of sweet or soy-dark sauces.

Pillars V — VII
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