Sweet Potato Wine

Sweet Potato Wine

　　 Towns such as Paipu and Dacheng in Danzhou produce excellent sweet potatoes, and the sweet potato wine made from them is quite famous, known as Danzhou’s “Moutai.” It is considered a fine drink to welcome honored guests from afar.

　　 The specific production process is as follows:

　　 1. Ingredients: mainly yeast cakes and sweet potato slices. The yeast cake is made by drying over ten kinds of aromatic plant leaves collected from the mountains, mixing them with rice, grinding them into powder, shaping it into egg-sized lumps, and fermenting them in piles of straw for several days before drying them in the sun for use.

　　 2. Brewing: generally involves three stages—yeast cake preparation, fermentation of sweet potato slices and chunks, and cooking-distillation. Fresh sweet potato chunks or dried slices are boiled, dried, and then mixed with the yeast cake. This mixture is then placed into jars or pots, sealed tightly, and allowed to ferment. After about half a month, it is distilled in a pot to produce the wine. This wine is mellow, sweet, soothing to the throat, promotes saliva production, and stimulates appetite. It has an exceptionally fragrant and refreshing taste when consumed.

　　 3. Etiquette: Drinking “Danzhou Moutai” is very common in rural areas. When guests visit, the host will definitely serve it as a sign of hospitality. When guests leave, the host will insist on giving them a bottle as a token of goodwill.