Tanggou Wine Cellar

Tanggou Wine Cellar

The Tanggou Wine Cellars are designated as a Cultural Relics Protection Unit of Jiangsu Province.

The old wine cellars of Tanggou Distillery are located within the distillery compound in Tanggou Town, Guannan County. Originally built during the Ming Dynasty and expanded gradually during the Qing Dynasty, they cover an area of 200 square meters. There are currently six buildings housing ten old cellar pits. Each pit measures 3 meters in north-south length, 2 meters in east-west width, and 1.6 meters in depth, serving as one of the prime sources of qu (fermentation starter) for brewing the high-quality wines of Tanggou.

Five meters west of the cellars lies a well named “Fragrant Spring,” which was the original water source used for brewing. Beside the well, there remains a large stone millstone and a stone roller. About 50 meters southwest of the wine cellars is a pond shaped like a turtle, called “Turtle Pond.” Later, due to insufficient water for brewing, water from this pond was also used in the process.

Tanggou Daqu has long been renowned for its mellow and fragrant taste. It gained fame as early as the early Qing Dynasty. During the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, the famous playwright and poet Hong Sheng praised Tanggou wine with the line: “Southern Tanggou wine, its fragrance wafts ten miles when the jar is opened.” The wine cellars are still in use today for producing premium distilled spirits.

These wine cellars are rare physical evidence for studying the brewing techniques and craftsmanship of our region, holding significant historical and scientific value. In 2001, they were listed as part of the third batch of Cultural Relics Protection Units in Lianyungang City. In 2011, they were included in the seventh batch of Cultural Relics Protection Units in Jiangsu Province.

Protected Area:

The protected area extends 50 meters in all directions from the wine cellars and ancient well.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Cultural Relics Protection Units in Jiangsu Province