How to distinguish high-quality Huangjiu from low-quality Huangjiu?

In the question 18, we talked about Mr. Zhou Shutao. Zhou Shutao, a great collector in the period of the Republic of China, spoke highly of Shaoxing Jiu and believed that Shaoxing Jiu was the best wine in the world (see Zhou Shutao's Wine Tickets). Many friends asked me why Shaoxing Huangjiu is so popular? And How to distinguish high-quality Huangjiu from low-quality Huangjiu? In this regard, I consulted Qian bin, a national brewing master and the director of Gu Yue Long Shan Quality and Technology Center.

Director Qian Bin said that there are mainly three reasons why Shaoxing Huangjiu has become a world wine, namely, the unique brewing condition (30 degrees north latitude), the unique water (Jianhu Lake), and a set of brewing technology that have been improved for thousands of years. Many enterprises in other regions, such as Taiwan, also make Huangjiu with the title of Shaoxing Jiu. However, the flavor of Huangjiu made in other regions is different without the unique environment and water of Shaoxing.

How to distinguish high-quality Huangjiu from low-quality Huangjiu? Or how to distinguish authentic Shaoxing Huangjiu from fake Shaoxing Huangjiu? Director Qian Bin said that the quality of Huangjiu is inevitably uneven. From the perspective of external packaging, we can judge the quality from two aspects. Firstly, you should check that whether there is the mark of origin on the trademark paper. Director Qian Bin said that the mark of origin is very important because even a lot of Huangjiu made in Shaoxing doesn't have the mark which needs to be approved strictly. Secondly, you should check the instructions on the package to find out the standard executed. At present, there are two standards of Huangjiu, namely, the national standard of Huangjiu (GB/T13662), and the national standard of Shaoxing Huangjiu (GB/T17946). The two standards are different. And the authentic Shaoxing Huangjiu is produced according to the GB/T17946.

And we can also judge the quality from the color, smell and taste. Director Qian Bin said that the superior Shaoxing Huangjiu is amber and highly transparent. You can pick up the wine glass and distinguish it under the light. The clear Huangjiu is bright and attractive.

Huangjiu smells mellow, with a hint of caramel and wood. And the mellow smell will be richer as the years roll on. You can drip a drop of Huangjiu on your palms, rub it, and you will feel Huangjiu become sticky like honey. And palms are full of mellow smell. The better the Huangjiu, the more sticky and more mellow it is. The low-quality Huangjiu and many white spirits will have the bad smell of distiller's grains after rubbing, and some of them are not sticky.

The taste of Huangjiu is unique. The fermentation of Huangjiu is complex. Thus, Huangjiu tastes sour, sweet, bitter, pungent, astringent and fresh. And it is said that after drinking superior Shaoxing Jiu, people will feel comfortable and refreshed. In addition, the requirements of brewing are very strict. And the qualified Huangjiu is sweet but not greasy, slightly bitter and sour but delectable.

However, director Qian bin said that the most important point is the comfortable sensation after drinking, which means that people won`t be uncomfortable and thirsty after drinking superior Shaoxing aged Huangjiu. And at present, some white spirits enterprises are utilizing the point to promote their products. It is worth mentioning that Shaoxing Huangjiu was praised widely in the Republic of China. Innovative winemakers have followed a set of strict production standards since ancient times. And the Huangjiu in the market has been stored for many years to ensure the high quality.