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January 27, 2015

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Home » District » Jiading

Dai’s the man when it comes to rice wine

It’s a tradition in Xuhang Town to make rice wine in the coldest days of winter. Dai Baoxing in Caowang Village, a skilled rice wine making craftsman, maintains the tradition in his family.

Dai, who is in his 60s, has been making rice wine for over 20 years, learning the skill from his father.

Every year he would make around 350 kilograms of rice wines.

Steaming rice is the first step and good quality glutinous rice has to be soaked in water for four to five days, dried and then steamed.

The steamed rice is put into a wine jar, then some water is poured in, yeast is added and the jar is kept warm to aid fermentation.

When pouring in the water, Dai stirs and rubs the glutinous rice with his hands.

The water is poured in strictly according to the ratio of one kilo of water to half a kilo of rice.

For 50 kilos of rice, five kilos of yeast are needed.

The wine jar has to be wrapped in straw and covered with a thick quilt afterward.

Fermentation takes around three weeks and Dai has to stir the rice for around five days, five times a day.

Dai is famous for his wine making skills in the district and every year several villagers will ask him to make rice wine for them.

“The rice wine made by Dai is pure, not like the wines bought in shops which are not strong enough with too much water,” the villagers said.




 

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