Chinese Rice Wine in 5 Minutes: Meet Huangjiu

Ask for "Chinese rice wine" in Europe and you will probably be handed a bottle for cooking. That is a pity, because China's great rice wine, huangjiu, is one of the oldest and most fascinating drinks in the world. Five minutes, seven questions, and you will know where to start.

1. What is it?

黄酒 (huángjiǔ) means "yellow wine", after its colour, which ranges from pale gold to deep amber. It is brewed from steamed grains, usually glutinous rice in the south and millet in the north, fermented with a qu starter: a cake of grain full of moulds and yeasts. The moulds turn starch into sugar while the yeasts turn sugar into alcohol, both at the same time, in the same vessel.

2. How strong is it?

Much gentler than baijiu. Huangjiu is brewed, not distilled, and usually sits between 8% and 20% alcohol, often around 15%: close to a strong wine or a light fortified wine. You sip it from small cups, with food, over a long meal.

3. How does it taste?

Think of it as somewhere between sherry and sake: nutty, caramel and dried fruit notes, a savoury, almost umami depth, and a sweetness that ranges from bone dry to luscious. Young wines are lighter and brighter. Wines aged for years in clay jars turn darker, rounder and more complex, with notes of walnut, dates and soy.

4. Is it like sake?

They are cousins, both brewed from rice with a mould-based starter. But huangjiu is usually aged longer, is darker and more oxidative, and has a deeper, more savoury character. If sake is a white wine, huangjiu is closer to an amontillado.

5. Where does it come from?

Its capital is Shaoxing, in Zhejiang, where, according to tradition, it has been made for more than 2,500 years. Shaoxing wine is a protected geographical name in China, brewed with the water of Jianhu Lake and classified into four classic styles, from dry to sweet.

But China makes many other rice wines. Fujian brews a ruby version with red qu. Shandong makes a dark wine from millet. Shanghai has its own lighter, modern huangjiu. And in the countryside, families still brew sweet rice wine at home for festivals and weddings.

6. How do you drink it?

Traditionally warm, especially in winter: a small jug placed in hot water until the wine is warm to the touch, sometimes with a dried plum or a slice of ginger. Today many younger drinkers prefer the dry and semi-dry styles slightly cool, and the sweet styles chilled or even over ice. One rule never changes: huangjiu is made for the table.

7. Why now?

In China, huangjiu is often seen as old-fashioned and is used above all for cooking. A new generation of producers is changing that, with lighter styles, modern bottles and long-aged reserves. For European drinkers who love sherry, aged wines and sake, it is a discovery waiting to happen, and almost nobody here has tasted the real thing.

Where to start

Look for a semi-dry Shaoxing Jiafan or a Huadiao with an age on the label, warm it gently and pour it with a savoury dish: braised pork, roast duck, aged cheese. Then explore the four styles, from dry Yuanhong to sweet Xiangxue.

In one sentence

Huangjiu is China's ancient amber rice wine: brewed, not distilled, somewhere between sherry and sake, and ready to be rediscovered.