Shaoxing wine

Japanese: 紹興酒 - しょうこうしゅ

<br /> A representative example of a type of Chinese brewed alcoholic beverage known as yellow wine . It is mainly produced in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province in the east. The water from a lake called Jianhu in Shaoxing is used for brewing. The main ingredient, glutinous rice, is soaked in the water from Jianhu and fermented with lactic acid, then steamed. It is then fermented and pressed in the water that the rice was soaked in, along with yeast starter and barley koji made from a special type of koji called shuyaku. It is packed into jars, sealed with clay or gypsum, and aged, but for export it requires a maturation period of more than three years. It is brown in color, has a sour and sweet taste, and develops a unique, harmonious aroma as it matures. Shuyaku is made by mixing non-glutinous rice flour with powdered willow barley, kneading it with water to form a mochi-like shape, and then coating it with old powdered shuyaku before leaving it to sit, during which microorganisms such as koji mold, yeast, and lactic acid bacteria are cultivated. There are four types of Shaoxing wine, Yuanhongjiu, Jiafanjiu, Shanjojiu, and Xiangxuejiu, which are made using different methods, and the latter types are sweeter. It is generally drunk straight at room temperature, but it can also be warmed and with rock sugar added. The alcohol content is about 14 to 20%. ◇It is also called "Shaoxingjiu".

Shaoxing wine

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Source: Kodansha Drink Dictionary Information

Japanese:

黄酒(ホワンチュウ)と呼ばれる中国の醸造酒の一種で、その代表的なもの。東部の浙江省紹興などを主産地とする。仕込み水には紹興にある鑑湖という湖の水を用いる。主原料のもち米を鑑湖の水に浸漬して乳酸発酵させた後に蒸し、酒薬と呼ばれる特殊な麹からつくる酒母や麦麹とともに、米を浸漬してあった水に仕込んで発酵させ、圧搾する。かめに詰め、粘土や石膏で密封して熟成するが、輸出用には3年以上の熟成期間を要する。褐色で酸味と甘みがあり、熟成して渾然とした独特の香りが生ずる。酒薬はうるち米の米粉にやなぎたでの粉末を混ぜ、水で練り固めて餅のようにし、これに古い酒薬の粉末をまぶしてねかせ、麹菌、酵母、乳酸菌などの微生物を培養したもの。紹興酒は製法の違いで元紅酒、加飯酒、善醸酒、香雪酒の4種があり、後ろのものほど甘みが強い。一般に常温でストレートで飲むが、燗をして氷砂糖を入れるなどの飲み方もある。アルコール度数は14～20度程度。◇「シャオシンチュウ」ともいう。