Spirit style
Green Plum Wine
青梅酒qīngméi jiǔ
Sweet, sour and young
- Category
- Fruit liqueur
- Home region
- Across China
Green plum wine, 青梅酒 (qīngméi jiǔ), is made by steeping or fermenting unripe green plums with alcohol and sugar. Sweet, tangy and light, often around 12% alcohol, it has become one of the favourite drinks of young Chinese drinkers, especially young women, looking for something gentler than baijiu.
Sweet, tangy and light
Green plum wine is made from unripe green plums, steeped in a base spirit or fermented, and sweetened. The result is fruity, tangy and refreshing, and much lower in alcohol than baijiu.
The low-alcohol boom
In recent years low-alcohol, fruit-flavoured drinks have grown fast in China, driven by young consumers who prefer 'getting tipsy' to getting drunk. Plum wine has led the trend: in 2020 its sales grew by nearly 90%. The best-known brand is Meijian, from Chongqing's Jiangxiaobai, at around 12% alcohol, and baijiu giants have launched their own low-alcohol products.
How to drink it
Chilled, on ice, or mixed with soda or sparkling wine in a spritz; with dessert, fruit, or as an aperitif.
Made at home, too
Before it became a modern brand category, green plum wine was a home tradition. When green plums are harvested in late spring and early summer, families wash them, dry them and steep them in spirit with rock sugar in big glass jars. The jars are left for months, often a year or more, before opening.
An old story
Green plums have a long place in Chinese culture. In the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the warlords Cao Cao and Liu Bei discuss who the true heroes of their time are over green plums and warm wine, a scene known as 青梅煮酒.
How to recognise it
Commercial green plum wines are pale gold, sweet and tangy, usually low in alcohol. Home-made infusions in baijiu can be much stronger: always check the label or ask.
How to serve
Chilled, on ice or in a spritz with sparkling wine and soda. Serve it in a small wine glass as an aperitif or with dessert.
Food pairings
- Fruit desserts, mooncakes, fried snacks and spicy dishes. In Europe, try it with a fruit tart or as an aperitif with salted nuts.
Sources
- Alcopop culture leading to a new drinking lifestyle in China — The Drinks Business
- China's popular plum wine faces backlash over gender discrimination in marketing — Vino Joy News, 2025
- Can Chinese liquor companies convince Chinese youths to drink traditional baijiu? — The China Project, 2021
- China's liquor industry caters to evolving tastes of younger consumers — China Daily, 2025