Calamus Wine

Calamus Wine

　　　　Produced in Yuanqu, Shanxi. Calamus Wine has been famous since the Han Dynasty, favored by emperors, generals, and officials throughout history, and was listed as an imperial delicacy in royal banquets. According to the "Book of the Later Han," "Meng Tuo, styled Boyang, presented Zhang Rang with a hu of calamus wine and was immediately appointed Governor of Liangzhou." The book "Zheng Lei Tong Bian" also mentions: "The fine wine of calamus fragrant through the two Han dynasties, one hu worth as much as a fifth-rank official." The "Ming Palace History" records: "Imperial consorts and eunuchs... in the early fifth year, drank cinnabar, realgar, and calamus wine." By the Qing Dynasty, every year on the lunar "Dragon Boat Festival," it was customary for "the emperor and his ministers to drink calamus wine heartily." Thus, it can be seen that calamus wine has over 2000 years of brewing history. Wine connoisseur Aisin-Gioro Pu Ban, after tasting this wine, spontaneously composed a seven-character regulated poem titled "Ode to Calamus Wine": "Famed brew traces back to the fiery Han, through ages known in imperial feasts. Nectar preserves youth, volumes attest its fame."

Story: Regarded as a rare delicacy and tonic by emperors throughout the ages. By the Ming Dynasty, on the day of the "Dragon Boat Festival," besides drinking it himself, the emperor would also bestow it upon imperial consorts and eunuchs to enjoy together, while requiring them to wear "five-poison mugwort-embroidered python robes" and hold a grand drinking ceremony.

　　Calamus Wine is a type of compounded liquor, with an orange-yellow hue tinged with slight emerald green, clear and transparent, fragrant in aroma, rich in wine bouquet, harmonized with medicinal scents, yet retaining the natural character of Chinese herbs. It tastes sweet and aromatic, sweet without being greasy, with a slight herbal flavor that is not off-putting, mellow and refreshing, spicy but not harsh to the throat, leaving one feeling refreshed and invigorated after drinking. The alcohol content is 45 degrees, and the sugar content is 12 degrees. The reason Calamus Wine is so precious lies mainly in its use of the locally produced nine-segment calamus, a valuable medicinal herb. Nine-segment calamus grows atop Mount Li, at an altitude of 1,994 meters, and is said to be "hard for the unambitious to obtain." Harvesting is limited to only about ten days around the lunar "Grain Full" period. Too early, the calamus lacks sap and is of poor quality; too late, the calamus sprouts wither and become hard to find. The water used to brew Calamus Wine comes from Shunwang Spring at the foot of Mount Li. Legend has it that this spring was personally dug by Emperor Shun. Shunwang Spring is mineral water, and regular consumption is said to cure various ailments and prolong life.

　　Efficacy: This wine has the effects of refreshing the mind, resolving phlegm, clearing the head and improving eyesight, lightening the body and strengthening bones. Regular drinking can nourish the brain, improve intelligence, and prolong life. The Song Dynasty medical scientist Wang Huaiyin's book "Taiping Shenghui Fang" records: "Calamus Wine treats twelve types of severe wind conditions, activates blood circulation, cures bone withering and yellowing, and heals what medicine cannot." The Ming Dynasty's great medical scientist Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica" also states: "Calamus Wine treats thirty-six types of wind diseases and twelve types of paralysis, activates blood circulation, treats bone flaccidity, and prolonged consumption leads to keen hearing and clear vision..." Clearly, Calamus Wine indeed has anti-aging and health-strengthening effects.

　　The selection of ingredients and the refinement of the brewing process for Calamus Wine are extraordinary. A skilled worker can only carefully select three to five pounds of nine-segment calamus in a day; the peas used for brewing must be sorted from unevenly sized grains to select the largest ones; sorghum must have each grain broken into six, eight, or ten pieces; fermentation takes place in earthen jars buried deep underground; the distillation occurs before the rooster’s crow at dawn each day, and the resulting wine is then sealed and stored underground for several years before it can be consumed.