Congtai Daqu

Congtai Daqu

　　Handan has a long history of winemaking, renowned since ancient times with the praise, “A thread of sweet spring enriches jade-like richness, brewing fine liquor that is rare in the world.” Today, Handan’s wine industry is even more thriving, with its fine liquors and famous brews enjoying widespread fame. Among them, Congtai Daqu stands out for its excellent color, taste, and aroma.

　　 　 Congtai Daqu is primarily made from high-quality sorghum, a specialty of North China, with rice husks as auxiliary material. It uses a high-temperature mash made from a blend of barley and wheat as the saccharification and fermentation agent. After low-temperature fermentation in traditional earthen cellars, it is meticulously brewed to produce a liquor that is colorless and transparent, with a rich aroma, smooth entry, sweet and clean finish, and a long aftertaste—possessing the typical characteristics of a strong-aroma style liquor.

　　 　 The history of winemaking in Handan dates back to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, over two thousand years ago. As the saying goes, “Where there is good wine, there must be excellent springs.” Handan has been producing fine wines since ancient times, largely due to its high-quality springs. According to the *Handan County Annals*, “Jiuwu Spring, located ten li west of the city, has sweet and cool water. In the past, the King of Zhao brewed wine here, and now the place is called Jiuwu Tower.” During the third year of King Wuling of Zhao’s reign, Zhao wine was listed as a delicacy and gained fame across the states. The *Jiajing Guangping Prefecture Annals* also contains similar records. According to the *Huainanzi*, during the Warring States period, the King of Chu held a grand gathering of feudal lords. The Kings of Lu and Zhao both presented fine wines to the King of Chu. The chief wine officer of Chu found the Lu wine to be light and insipid, while the Zhao wine was rich and mellow, and he wanted to obtain some bottles of Zhao wine. The Zhao wine envoy refused, offending the Chu wine officer. The latter then played a small trick akin to “calling a stag a horse,” claiming the Zhao wine was from Lu and the Lu wine from Zhao. The King of Chu became very displeased with Zhao and sent a large army to besiege Handan, the capital of Zhao. This led to the Chu-Zhao War.

　　 　 Congtai Daqu was successfully trial-produced in 1972. In August 1979, at the Third National Wine Appraisal Conference, it won the title of National Quality Liquor and was also named a Famous Liquor of Hebei Province in the same year. It is named after the historical site “Congtai.”