Sweet Potato Wine

Sweet Potato Wine

　　After harvesting sweet potatoes, many farmers worry about what to do with them. In fact, there is broad potential in processing sweet potatoes. For example, making wine from sweet potatoes produces a mellow and fragrant brew that sells well in the market.

　　Production

　　1. Steaming, Boiling and Mixing Ingredients: Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly to remove all dirt and sand. Cut larger sweet potatoes into 3.3 cm cubes; smaller ones can be used whole. The purpose of cutting is to ensure even steaming and thorough cooking. Place the cubes in a large steamer basket and steam them over even heat until fully cooked. Pour them onto a clean bamboo mat, mash them into a paste, and let cool until they are cool enough to handle without burning your hands. Then mix in 3.5 to 4.0 kg of sweet potato wine yeast per 100 kg of fresh sweet potatoes, stirring evenly. Let it cool again before transferring it to a fermentation jar.

　　2. Sealing and Fermenting: Pour the completely cooled sweet potato mash into a pre-cleaned and sun-dried ceramic jar, filling it only two-thirds full. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, secure it with twine, and allow it to ferment for about 40 to 50 days.

　　3. Distilling the Wine: Mix the fully fermented mash with dried shriveled grains or spent grains, using just enough so it doesn’t feel wet — generally about 60 kg of dried grains per 100 kg of fresh sweet potato mash. Place the distillation pot over a boiler, fill the boiler with sufficient water, and seal the joint between the pot and the distillation pot tightly with straw rope to prevent steam from escaping. Place an iron pot on top of the distillation pot, fill it with cold water, and position a bamboo wine collection trough under the iron pot to collect the distilled liquid. Store the condensed wine in a wine jar. When distilling reaches a certain point, taste the wine — when the flavor becomes very light, stop the distillation. During the process, ensure the heat is steady and avoid using high flames. Also, frequently change the cooling water in the iron pot on top to maintain a water temperature of around 24°C.

　　4. Sealing for Storage: To store the wine for future use, use small-necked, crack-free ceramic containers. Wrap one piece of sweet potato wine yeast pill in a clean cloth and place it in the wine, then seal the container tightly. Each 100 kg of sweet potatoes can yield 40 to 50 kg of sweet potato wine.

　　Characteristics

　　Unlike strong liquor, sweet potato wine does not have a heavy aroma but instead offers a delicate, subtle fragrance. It tastes sweet and soothes the throat, like cool spring water — once you start drinking, you won’t want to stop, often becoming tipsy before you realize it. No matter how much you drink, even if you become heavily intoxicated, you won’t get a headache.

　　Benefits

　　Sweet potato wine helps strengthen the body and ward off colds and flu. When suffering from a cold or headache, fry coarse salt until it pops, then pour sweet potato wine over it to make a salted wine. Drinking this can cure minor ailments like colds.

　　Sweet potato wine also has anti-cancer properties.