Jiannanchun

Jiannanchun

Jiannanchun is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Jiannanchun is produced in Mianzhu, Sichuan. During the Tang Dynasty, people named liquors “Chun” (Spring), and as Mianzhu is located south of Mount Jian, it was thus called “Jiannanchun” (Spring South of Jian). Winemaking here has a history of over 1,000 years. As early as the Wude era (618–625 AD) of the Tang Dynasty, it was known as “Shaochun of Jiannan Region.” According to records in a book by —: “Among wines… there is the earthen-pit Chun of Xingyang… and the Shaochun of Jiannan.” The “Shaochun of Jiannan” refers to the famous liquor produced in Mianzhu. Legend has it that the great Tang poet Li Bai once “pawned his sable coat to buy wine” in his youth in Mianzhu. Since then, Mianzhu wine has been described as “worth trading a golden sable coat for, valued even in Luoyang.” The Song Dynasty poet Su Shi wrote “The Honey Wine Song,” prefaced with: “Yang Shichang, a Taoist from Western Shu, excelled at making honey wine, exceptionally rich and mellow. Having obtained his recipe, I composed this song to give to him.” Yang Shichang was a Taoist priest from Wudushan Mountain in Mianzhu at the time. This shows that during both the Tang and Song dynasties, Mianzhu’s wines were already fine and mellow. The predecessor of Jiannanchun, Mianzhu Daqu, was first created during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty and has a history of over 300 years. The earliest distillery was called “Zhu Tianyi Brewing Workshop,” owned by Zhu Yu, a native of Sanyuan County, Shaanxi, who came from a family of winemakers. He moved to Mianzhu upon discovering its excellent water quality and started the workshop. Later, three other Daqu liquor workshops—Bai, Yang, and Zhao—were established in succession. It is said that all four used brewing formulas originating from Lueyang, Shaanxi. According to the Mianzhu County Annals: “Daqu liquor is a local specialty, with a rich flavor, white color, and a clear dew-like appearance.” The Qing Dynasty literary figure Li Diaoyuan wrote in Hanhai: “Mianzhu Qinglu Daqu liquor clears summer heat, wards off winter cold, helps stop vomiting and diarrhea, and eliminates dampness and mountain miasma.” By the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were already seventeen such workshops. In 1958, Mianzhu Daqu liquor was renamed “Jiannanchun.” Varieties: Jiannanchun is available in two alcohol levels: 60% and 52%.      Jiannanchun is a strong-aroma Baijiu, with a rich fragrance, mellow sweetness, crisp and clean taste, and a long-lasting aftertaste, characterized by a unique “qu liquor aroma.” Ingredients: Mianzhu Jiannanchun is made from five grains—red sorghum, rice, wheat, glutinous rice, and corn—using high-quality wheat qu as the saccharification and fermentation agent. Employing brewing techniques such as “red lees cap, low-temperature fermentation, double-bottom aroma enhancement, back-sand back-liquor process, head-and-tail removal, and segmented distillation,” the liquor is carefully aged and blended.      In 1922, Mianzhu Jiannanchun won first prize at the Seventh Sichuan Provincial Industrial Exposition; in 1928, it received medals and certificates at the Sichuan Provincial National Products Exhibition. Since then, its reputation has grown steadily, gaining fame across the country. (Mianzhu)