Shaoxing Rice Wine — Varieties and Uses (绍兴黄酒)
Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province — 2500+ year history
Shaoxing yellow wine (huang jiu) is the most important cooking wine in Chinese cuisine and a significant drinking wine in its own right. Four main grades: Hua Diao (花雕 — engraved crock; aged, most complex); Yuan Hong (元红 — dry, basic cooking grade); Jia Fan (加饭 — extra rice added; richer, slightly sweet); Shan Niang (善酿 — sweet dessert wine brewed with aged huang jiu instead of water). Understanding the grades transforms Chinese cooking.