Qingxiang (fragrant) white spirit is made from sorghum and other grains, with a relatively fragrant taste, free from杂质, clean and neat, colorless and without precipitation, with harmonious aroma, belonging to the traditional Laokan style, with a low degree, sweet and mellow in taste, rich and refreshing. It is a common type of wine at dinner parties and is very popular with everyone.

Brewing Process

Grain is the flesh of wine. Generally, sorghum, corn, wheat, rice, glutinous rice, barley, buckwheat, and other grains and legumes (excluding tubers and fruits and vegetables) are used as raw materials. The grains should be uniform, plump, fresh, free from insect infestation and mildew, dry and suitable, free from mud and sand, without peculiar taste, and free from other impurities.

Malt is the bone of wine, and making malt is an important link in the wine-making process. Throughout the history of using grain as raw material for brewing in various countries, there are two major categories: one is to use the germination of grains, utilizing the enzymes produced during grain germination to saccharify the raw materials into sugar, and then using yeast to convert the sugar into alcohol (such as beer); the other is to use moldy grains to make malt, and use the enzyme preparation contained in the malt to saccharify and ferment the grain raw materials into wine. The way white spirit is brewed uses the second method, which mainly involves the saccharification of starch (converted into glucose).

Only white spirit made from the fermentation process where the ingredients, steaming, saccharification, fermentation, and distillation are all in a solid state can be called solid-state fermentation white spirit. The fermentation process is actually the process of converting the sugar generated in the previous stage into alcohol through fermentation.

The alcohol content produced by fermentation is actually very low. In order to increase the alcohol content (degree), distillation purification is usually carried out, mainly using a steamer as a container (except for semi-solid method) for slow distillation, and measures such as pouring the yellow water and wine tail into the bottom of the pot for distillation can also be taken. After the distillation operation, the original wine obtained generally has a higher degree, and the quality and style of different batches of original wine are different, so they need to be stored in batches.

Aging, also known as maturation, what we say ‘the older the better’ about wine refers to the wine that has gone through the aging process. High-proof raw wine after distillation can only be considered a semi-finished product, spicy, not mellow, and only after being stored in a specific environment for a period of time to mature naturally, can the wine body become soft and palatable, rich and fragrant. The best container for storing wine is earthenware, and larger storage containers can be made of stainless steel and other materials, and it is best not to use aluminum containers. Wine aging should be done naturally, and it is prohibited to use catalysts and other chemical methods to accelerate aging.

Yes, the sommelier is talking about blending. Although some people in the industry call this process ‘tuning’ to mislead consumers, the sommelier needs to emphasize that the blending here is completely different from the ‘three spirits and one water’ blending commonly understood by everyone. Here, blending refers to allowing the use of different batches and grades of wine as well as various flavoring wines for blending, and absolutely not allowing the addition of mixed esters and aromatic substances not derived from non-white spirit fermentation.

After blending, the finished wine must pass inspection and be bottled with labels before it can enter the market and meet consumers.