Baoning Pressed Wine

Baoning Pressed Wine

Baoning Pressed Wine is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Langzhong has a long history of winemaking. The great Southern Song Dynasty poet Lu You once praised Langzhong wine, saying, “The brews of Langzhong are exquisitely fragrant and mellow.”    

　　Baoning Pressed Wine is a unique traditional famous liquor exclusive to Langzhong, also known as “Aged Pressed Wine,” with a history of over 300 years. The starter culture for the wine is made from over a hundred types of Chinese medicinal herbs such as gastrodia elata, cinnamon, wolfberry, pinellia ternata starter, cardamom, white cardamom, and jujube. This starter is added to steamed base grains (mainly red sorghum), which then undergo solid-state fermentation to produce the foundational pressed wine. This high-proof base wine, with an alcohol content of over 60%, is further blended with rock sugar, pollen, and other ingredients, then sealed in clay jars and stored in earthen cellars that maintain a constant natural temperature — this process is called “pressing.” After being pressed and aged in the cellar for one year, the jars can be opened. By then, the originally over 60% ABV wine is reduced to around 26% ABV and turns into a semi-transparent amber color. The taste becomes sweet and mellow with a lingering aftertaste, making it enjoyable even for non-drinkers. Baoning Pressed Wine contains 17 types of amino acids and is rich in vitamins, offering benefits such as nourishing the body and combating aging. Some say Baoning Pressed Wine can rival the fine wines of France’s Bordeaux region. In 1958, the State Economic Commission listed it among China’s nationally renowned special products. (Langzhong)

　　Langzhong’s Baoning Pressed Wine, also known as Aged Pressed Wine, gets its name from being produced in Baoning Prefecture, Sichuan (the prefectural seat is now Langzhong City). It has a history of over 300 years. It was first brewed by generations of the Lan family in Lanziba, Shaxi Town, on the outskirts of Baoning Prefecture, and the recipe was passed down exclusively within the family until the liberation. In 1956, during the public-private partnership movement, the Lan family distillery was merged into Langzhong County Distillery, and the production technique of the pressed wine was inherited by technicians at the state-owned distillery. DEZ

　　Baoning Pressed Wine has a sweet, mellow flavor with a long-lasting aftertaste. It is rich in amino acids, proteins, sugars, fats, and vitamins, providing nourishment and promoting longevity. For many years, it has been beloved by the general public and has become a popular local gift for friends and relatives. He Lu, a renowned mathematician and the first provincial People's Congress representative, spoke highly of the wine after tasting it: "Langzhong's 'Baoning Pressed Wine' is the color of amber, with a rich and aromatic taste. I suggest mass-producing it."

　　Baoning Pressed Wine is made using a medicinal starter culture refined from over a hundred types of Chinese herbs including gastrodia elata, cinnamon, wolfberry, and pinellia ternata starter. The main ingredients are rice, wheat, and locally grown red sorghum. The medicinal starter is added to the steamed base grains, and after solid-state fermentation, the base mash for the pressed wine is obtained. Then, regular wine starter is added along with an appropriate amount of the base mash and steamed grains to ferment. After distillation, the foundational pressed wine is produced. Finally, the wine is stored in earthenware jars and placed in cellars maintained at a certain temperature for one year. Once the jars are opened after aging, the wine turns semi-transparent with an amber hue, yielding a premium base liquor with an alcohol content of 27–30%. After laboratory testing, it is bottled and released to the market. DEZ

　　The production area of Baoning Pressed Wine covers the administrative regions of three subdistricts under the jurisdiction of Langzhong City, Sichuan Province: Baoning Subdistrict Office, Shaxi Subdistrict Office, and Qili Subdistrict Office.

　　I. Requirements for Raw and Auxiliary Materials

　　1. Red Sorghum: Select red sorghum grown locally in Langzhong, which should comply with relevant national standards;

　　2. Glutinous Rice: Select glutinous rice grown locally in Langzhong, which should comply with relevant national standards;

　　3. Wheat: Select wheat grown locally in Langzhong, which should comply with relevant national standards;

　　4. Brewing Water: Deep well water within the production area or high-quality domestic water from the Jialing River basin, with water quality meeting the national standards for drinking water;

　　5. Pressed Wine Starter: Made by crushing cinnamon, jujube, houttuynia cordata, wolfberry, licorice, gastrodia elata, cardamom, magnolia bark, and notoginseng in proportion, then mixing with wheat bran, and processed through a unique traditional method.

　　II. Process Requirements

　　 1. Process Flow:

　　(1) Production of Xiaoqu Baijiu (light-aroma liquor): Raw materials → initial steaming → cooking grains → secondary steaming → cooling and adding starter → placing in fermentation box → removing from box → fermentation → distillation

　　(2) Production of Pressed Wine: Raw materials → pot steaming → cooling and mixing with pressed wine starter → fermentation → adding to barrel with mixed Xiaoqu Baijiu and spring water → sealed fermentation → cellar-aged fermentation → fine filtration → packaging → finished product

　　 2. Key Control Points in Production Process: The process uses two-stage ingredient input and four rounds of fermentation. The key control points involve managing the pressed wine starter, temperature, and timing.

　　(1) Accurately measure the raw materials (red sorghum, glutinous rice) into the pot and add water for steaming;

　　(2) When the temperature of the steamed grains drops to around 24–26°C, mix in the pressed wine starter;

　　(3) Ferment at 24–26°C for 24–30 hours;

　　(4) Place the fermented glutinous rice and sorghum into a fermentation barrel, and add a mixture of deep well water and Xiaoqu Baijiu. Seal and ferment at around 26–28°C for 10–15 days;

　　(5) Pour the pre-filtered wine liquid into earthenware jars to about 70% full, and hang a small piece of pork fat suspended by a bamboo strip above the liquid. Seal and cellar-age for one to three years before opening the jar;

　　III. Quality Characteristics

　　1. Sensory Characteristics:

　　(1) Color: Amber, semi-transparent, with no suspended particles;

　　(2) Aroma: Possesses a distinctive honey-like mellow fragrance, with no off-odors;

　　(3) Taste: Moderately sweet and sour, with a mellow mouthfeel and a refreshing quality.

　　2. Physicochemical indicators:

　　Item                                                                              &很长

　　Alcohol content/(% vol) 21～31

　　Total acidity (calculated as lactic acid)/(g/L) ≥0.4

　　Total sugar (calculated as reducing sugar)/(g/L) ≥20.0

　　3. Safety and other quality and technical requirements: The product’s safety and other quality and technical requirements must comply with relevant national regulations.