The Historical Rice Wine

---Shiwan Winery

Yubingshao — a fine wine made by a Hanlin Scholar

The founder of Shiwan Yubingshao is Chen Ruyue, the third-generation heir of Chen Taiji Winery. In the 15th year of the Guangxu period (1889), he was appointed as the chief examiner of Guizhou Province.

Unexpectedly, when Chen Ruyue's career was flourishing, he resigned and returned to Liantang Township on the pretext of going home to take care of his mother. Chen Ruyue noticed that those elderly people in their seventies especially liked to eat fatty pork. What was so delicious about fatty pork? Chen Ruyue, who was skeptical, picked up a piece and tasted it carefully. He found that the fatty pork was not only fragrant and moist, but also smooth and sweet. He suddenly had an idea and decided to try to add fatty pork to Taiji rice wine, soak and age it in Shiwan pottery, and create a new rice wine brewing process. After repeated experiments, the fat pork was soaked in rice wine for a period of time, and the originally turbid rice wine with impurities became purer. The pork soaked in the wine was like crystal clear ice cubes. The wine was clear and tasted carefully. It tasted sweet and smooth. It not only removed the bitterness and spiciness of the liquor, but also had a sweet and soft taste, which was much smoother and had a unique and rich aroma different from the common rice wine.

Chen Ruyue was a Hanlin scholar. His talent played a creative role in the ancestral wine industry. Since then, Yubingshao has been recognized by the public for its mellow and good wine and genuine products, and has become famous for this.