Hakka Yellow Wine

Hakka Yellow Wine

　　Hakka Yellow Wine

　　 　　Drinking alcohol is a common custom in Hakka cuisine. Both the elderly and the young among the Hakka people drink, and in some Hakka regions, wine is even used as a substitute for tea during the peak of summer, consumed widely. On festive occasions and joyous celebrations such as birthdays, wine is indispensable for adding to the cheer.

　　 　　Apart from being consumed personally or served to guests, Hakka yellow wine is also a traditional gift exchanged between relatives and friends. Especially at weddings, it is one of the important gifts the bride’s family gives back to the groom’s. The bride’s family packs the yellow wine along with other gifts and carries them over on a shoulder pole, a practice commonly known as “delivering the wine load.” Moreover, the wine given is usually brewed personally by the bride’s family. Additionally, when a child is born in a Hakka family, the groom’s side must prepare one rooster, a pot of yellow wine, and a string of firecrackers to send to the bride’s parents’ home to announce the good news, a custom referred to as “announcing the ginger wine.”

　　Characteristics

　　　　There is a Hakka saying: “Steaming wine and grinding tofu—don’t dare claim to be a master.” When it comes to brewing wine, aside from human skill, there are two other crucial factors: first, selecting high-quality wine yeast, and second, water quality, which is key. Pure, sweet mountain spring water or well water must be used. Yellow wine is distinctly different from rice wine and sorghum wine because it has an extremely low alcohol content and offers a mellow, slightly alcoholic taste, making it suitable for both the old and the young. In particular, Hakka women are especially fond of this yellow wine that “quenches thirst and nourishes the body.” People often see many who get heavily drunk from drinking rice wine or sorghum wine, but those who get drunk from yellow wine are extremely rare.

　　 　　Every household brews yellow wine, and everyone drinks it. The prevalence of yellow wine can be described as an extremely unique social phenomenon in Hakka rural areas. Yellow wine is made from glutinous rice, which is very easy to grow in Hakka villages and is inexpensive, only about ten percent more costly than ordinary rice. Moreover, the amount of glutinous rice needed to steam a vat of wine can vary, and the process is simple—every Hakka woman knows how to make it. The hospitable Hakka people consider yellow wine a necessity when hosting banquets for festivals, weddings, or other joyful celebrations. During the feast, each person has a bowl, pouring and drinking as they go. Hosts and guests, and guests with each other, toast back and forth, exchanging cups and creating a lively and joyous atmosphere at the banquet.