Huangjiu

Huangjiu (Chinese: 黃酒; lit. 'yellow wine') is a type of Chinese rice wine (mijiu) most popular in East China. Huangjiu is brewed by mixing steamed grains including rice, glutinous rice or millet with qū as starter culture, followed by saccharification and fermentation at around 13–18 °C (55–64 °F) for fortnights. Its alcohol content is typically 8% to 20%. Huangjiu is usually pasteurized, aged, and filtered before its final bottling for sale to consumers. The maturation process can be complicated but important for the development of the layers of flavors and fragrance. A few brands of premium grade huangjiu could have been aged for up to 20 years. As huangjiu's name suggests, its typical color is typically light yellow and orange, but it can in fact range from clear to brown. Many famous huangjiu brands promote the quality of water used in brewing in their advertising, and some consider it to be the most important ingredient. The drink is commonly consumed warm, as the richness from the flavor compounds are released better when warm. In summer, it is popular to drink sweet huangjiu chilled or on ice. Liaojiu (Chinese: 料酒; lit. 'condiment wine') is a type of huangjiu used in cooking, an example of this being the liaojiu-type of Shaoxing rice wine. Major producers of huangjiu include mainland China and Taiwan.