How Huangjiu Is Made: Rice, Qu and the Water of Jianhu Lake

Huangjiu is one of the oldest brewed drinks in the world, and in Shaoxing it is still made to a rhythm set by the seasons. Rice, qu, water, cold and time: here is how they become an amber wine.

1. The rice

The classic Shaoxing wine is brewed from polished glutinous rice (糯米, nuòmǐ), the sticky rice used for Chinese dumplings and sweets. It is rich in a type of starch that breaks down easily, which gives the wine its body and natural sweetness. The rice is soaked, then steamed until it is cooked through but still firm.

In northern China, millet takes its place. Shandong's Jimo Laojiu, for example, is a dark huangjiu made without any rice at all.

2. The starter

The heart of huangjiu is qu (曲), a starter full of moulds and yeasts. In Shaoxing the main starter is wheat qu (麦曲): crushed wheat shaped into blocks and left to grow moulds in a warm room. A small rice-based starter is also used to build up a strong yeast culture before the main brew.

Qu is what makes Chinese brewing unique. The moulds turn starch into sugar while the yeasts turn that sugar into alcohol, in the same vessel and at the same time. Brewers call it parallel fermentation, and it is how huangjiu reaches its strength without any distillation.

3. The water

About 80% of huangjiu is water, so the water matters. In Shaoxing, it comes from Jianhu Lake (鉴湖), whose water is called "the blood of the wine". Brewers say its minerals and purity are the reason Shaoxing wine cannot be copied elsewhere.

4. Winter brewing

Shaoxing brews in the cold. Traditional brewing begins around the start of winter (立冬, lìdōng, in early November), when low temperatures keep the fermentation slow and clean. Steamed rice, qu and water go into large clay vats.

As the mash ferments, it heats up and bubbles. Every few hours the brew master stirs it with a wooden rake. This moment is called kaipa (开耙), and it is the most skilled job in the brewery: the master listens, smells and tastes to decide when to stir, cooling the mash and keeping the yeasts healthy. Fermentation continues for weeks, then slows down through the winter.

5. Pressing and heating

In early spring, the fermented mash is pressed to separate the young wine from the lees. The wine is filtered, then heated to stabilise it (煎酒, jiānjiǔ), a step that stops any further fermentation and lets it age safely.

6. Ageing

Good huangjiu is aged in clay jars, sealed with lotus leaves and a cap of mud. Clay breathes, letting in a little oxygen over the years. The wine grows darker, nuttier and more complex. Many bottles carry an age statement, such as three, five or ten years.

7. Wine made with wine

Some styles use a clever trick. Shanniang is brewed with aged Yuanhong in place of part of the water, which gives a richer, semi-sweet wine. Xiangxue is brewed with a rice spirit added to the ferment, which stops the yeasts and keeps much of the sugar in the wine.

Why it matters when you drink it

Each step leaves a trace in the glass: the glutinous rice gives roundness, the wheat qu gives savoury, nutty notes, the winter brew gives purity, and the clay jars give the amber colour and the sherry-like depth.

In one sentence

Huangjiu is brewed in winter from glutinous rice, wheat qu and the water of a famous lake, then aged in clay until it turns amber.