Every sip is a new journey – Chinese rice wine

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With many types of liquor to choose from, China is the birthplace of rice wine culture. Follow CGTN Travel as we will give you a brief introduction of Chinese rice wine and its unique culture.

Rice wine, known in Chinese as "mijiu", is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented glutinous rice. Usually, its alcohol volume is between 15 to 25 percent. Due to the low alcohol volume, rice wine is generally accepted and favored by people. Interestingly, many vendors will add local ingredients to create the special taste of local rice wine, and therefore, Chinese rice wine has many names.

A worker brews Chinese rice wine. /VCG Photo

The culture of Hakka rice wine

The Hakka are a subgroup of Han Chinese with their own culture and language. Hakka rice wine, also known as "niang wine" in Chinese, is a type of rice wine in China. Mainly founded in the Hakka city of Meizhou in south China's Guangdong Province, the Hakka rice wine is often served as a treat for guests from afar, and especially presented as a gift during the Spring Festival or other important occasions.

For centuries, almost every Hakka woman learns how to brew rice wine. However, making good rice wine is tricky, with details like controlling the fermented temperature and the time of fermentation playing critical roles.

One of the Hakka breweries in Hongkeng village, southeast China's Fujian Province. /VCG Photo

Hakka rice wine has gradually becoming a kind of popular drink. Today, apart from being a kind of alcoholic beverage, it's also served as an important ingredient in Chinese dishes. For example, it's used to mask the odor of meat and fish while it adds little or no extra flavor to the food.

In recent years, with the increasing competition, China's wine industry faces new challenges. Regional limitations might be the biggest problem if Hakka rice wine wants to carve out a piece of the market in other parts of China or expand outside of the country.

One of the Hakka breweries in Hongkeng village, southeast China's Fujian Province. /VCG Photo