Bottles & labels

坛 (tán) is the clay jar in which much Chinese alcohol is aged and stored. Jars, bottles and labels tell you a great deal about what you are about to drink, once you know where to look.

Jars: where Chinese drinks age

Baijiu. After distillation, baijiu is not drunk straight away. It usually rests in large clay jars, sometimes for years, before being blended and bottled. The porous clay lets the spirit breathe slowly, softening the harsh notes of fresh spirit.

Rice wine. Huangjiu is traditionally aged in clay jars sealed with a cap of mud, 泥封 (nífēng). In Shaoxing, stacks of jars can still be seen in the wineries. Ageing darkens the wine and makes it more complex. According to tradition, families in Shaoxing buried a jar when a daughter was born and opened it at her wedding: this wine is known as 女儿红 (nǚ'ér hóng), "daughter's red".

Bottles

Baijiu bottles are often ceramic or decorated glass, sometimes very ornate, because baijiu is a classic gift. Rice wine is sold in glass bottles, in decorated ceramic jars and, for everyday cooking, in simple bottles. Chinese wine usually comes in Bordeaux-style bottles. Beer comes in cans and in large bottles meant to be shared.

Reading a baijiu label

You do not need to read Chinese. Look for these words:

香型 (xiāngxíng): aroma type, for example 酱香型, sauce aroma. 酒精度 (jiǔjīngdù): alcohol content, often written as a number followed by %vol, or as 度 (dù), for example 53度. 净含量 (jìnghánliàng): net volume, for example 500ml. 原料 (yuánliào): ingredients, for example 高粱 (sorghum), 小麦 (wheat), 水 (water). 生产日期 (shēngchǎn rìqī): production date. 生产商 or 生产厂家: producer.

Reading a rice wine label

Look for the style or sweetness (干型 dry, 半干型 semi-dry, 半甜型 semi-sweet, 甜型 sweet), and for the age. Ages are written with 陈 (chén), "aged", and a number of years, for example 五年陈, "aged five years". Names such as 花雕 (huādiāo) or 加饭 (jiāfàn) tell you the style.

Reading a Chinese wine label

Look for the region, for example 贺兰山东麓 (Hèlánshān dōnglù), the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains in Ningxia, and the grape variety, for example 赤霞珠 (Cabernet Sauvignon) or 马瑟兰 (Marselan). Many labels carry both Chinese and English.

Storing bottles at home

Baijiu and spirits: upright, so the strong alcohol does not damage the cap or cork, away from heat and light. They do not need a cellar. Rice wine: in a cool, dark place before opening; in the fridge after. Wine: lying down if it has a cork, in a cool, dark place with a stable temperature. Beer: cool and dark, and drink it fresh.

Buying with confidence

Famous baijiu brands are often counterfeited. Buy from reputable shops and importers, be wary of prices that look too good to be true, and check that the label, seal and packaging are intact and consistent.

In short

Jars age the drink, labels describe it. For baijiu, look for 香型 and 度; for rice wine, sweetness and 陈; for wine, region and grape. And store spirits upright.