Brewing wine

Brewing wine

　　Brewing wine

　　The Miao people mastered the technique of brewing wine at an early stage. As a result, drinking became one of their habits. Most farming households are capable of making their own wine, producing sweet wine, infused wine, and distilled spirits, but distilled liquor is the most common. In Miao society, the consumption of alcohol is significant—whether for building a new house, celebrating festivals, weddings, funerals, worshipping gods, paying homage, or other occasions—wine is always used. Especially during strenuous labor, a meal is never complete without wine at the end of the workday. Generally, adults drink the most. Although women usually drink little or not at all, when guests arrive or on festive days, the hostess will offer wine as a gesture of hospitality. If the guest refuses to drink or doesn’t drink much, the host may become displeased, and it is customary to continue urging the guest until they are drunk. Therefore, even if they do not drink themselves, households often brew a jar of wine to keep for serving guests.

　　Among the brewed wines, the highest quality is known as “Chongyang Wine,” a traditional pit-aged liquor. Its production is very meticulous: premium glutinous rice is steamed and used as the base for fermenting sweet wine. Then, the highest-proof first-distilled liquor is blended into the sweet wine for infusion, resulting in a wine that is pure in flavor, with a brownish-yellow hue resembling diluted honey, and a richly fragrant, sweet, and refreshing taste. If stored underground, the longer it ages, the purer the flavor becomes. The Miao people are known for their hearty and hospitable nature. To them, wine is a precious offering and a bridge to entertain relatives and friends. Whenever guests visit, they often serve homemade village-brewed wine to honor their visitors. They believe that no ceremony is complete without wine—even with an abundant feast, hosts feel they have slighted their guests without it. As the saying goes, “Wine carries friendship, meat carries flavor.” Emphasis is placed on the wine, not the dishes. As long as there is wine, even just a sour soup or a dish of chili water suffices. Guests will leave content after even a sip. During the banquet, hosts eagerly urge their guests to drink. When a guest takes the bowl and drinks it down without hesitation, the host beams with joy and engages the guest in lively conversation. However, if the guest refuses to drink or doesn’t drink much, the host will become visibly displeased. In short, serving wine to guests is of utmost importance. Thus, the Miao people have created unique drinking customs such as ox-horn wine, roadside-welcoming wine, two-feet-walking wine, reunion wine, toast wine, exchanging-cups wine, and farewell wine. It is customary for elders and guests to drink first. Exchanging cups and toasting to enhance the mood is a general rule. When encouraging others to drink, hosts often sing loudly to boost the atmosphere, express mutual feelings, recount clan origins, historical events, or sing about harvests. There are calls and responses, leaders and followers, singing one verse, responding with another— whoever loses the song has to drink a bowl. This can go on all night long without sleep, from dusk till dawn.