Fenjiu
|
Bottles of Fenjiu
|
Fenjiu (Simplified and Traditional Chinese: 汾酒; Pinyin: Fén jiǔ) is a Baijiu from the village of Xinghuacun ("Apricot Blossom Village") in Fenyang, central Shanxi. It is regarded as the model of the light-aroma (清香, qingxiang) style — clean, dry and fragrant — and is one of the oldest named spirits in China. The main producer is the Shanxi Xinghuacun Fenjiu group.[1][2]
Origin and region
Archaeological digs at the Xinghuacun site found Neolithic pottery vessels that some researchers interpret as fermentation jars, so the area is often described as having about 6,000 years of brewing history; this interpretation is debated. Grain wine from the Fen River area is mentioned in histories of the Northern Qi dynasty (6th century), and by the Ming and Qing periods "Fenjiu" was the name of a well-known distilled spirit. A company-run distillery took over village workshops in the early 20th century, and a state distillery was founded around 1948–1949.[2][1]
The Tang poet Du Mu's poem Qingming ends with a herd boy pointing to a tavern in "Apricot Blossom Village". Fenyang claims this village, but other places — notably Chizhou in Anhui — make the same claim, so the link to Fenjiu is traditional and unproven.[2]
Raw materials
- Sorghum from the Jinzhong plain
- Qu — a daqu starter made from barley and peas
- Water from local wells
Overview only — not a recipe.
Production (overview)
Fenjiu uses a method often summarised as "clear steaming, twice clear" (清蒸二次清). Raw grain and husks are steamed separately, and the cooked sorghum is mixed with qu and fermented in clay jars buried in the ground (地缸), rather than in mud pits. After about four weeks the fermented grain is distilled, then fermented a second time with more qu and distilled again. The two distillates are stored separately in ceramic jars and later blended.[2][1] Because no old grain is mixed back in, the process gives a cleaner, lighter aroma than strong-aroma baijiu. The brewing technique was included in the first batch of the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006.[1]
Style and taste
Light-aroma baijiu is described as pure, crisp and slightly sweet, with a clean finish and aromas of fresh grain and flowers; ethyl acetate is the main aroma compound. Erguotou from Beijing and Taiwan's Kinmen Kaoliang are also light-aroma spirits.[1]
Culture
Fenjiu was among the four famous liquors named at China's first national liquor evaluation in 1952.[2] Fenjiu is also used as the base for Zhuyeqing (竹叶青, "bamboo leaf green"), a sweetened, herb-infused liqueur that is not the same as the green tea of the same name. Xinghuacun has a liquor museum and preserved old workshops and wells.[1]
Notes
- The Fenjiu brand should not be confused with the many sorghum spirits sold simply as gaoliang (高粱酒).
- This page does not give prices or buying advice.