Ox Dung Wine

Ox Dung Wine

　　Ox Dung Wine

　　In fact, the ox dung wine from Lianghe is not actually soaked in ox dung, but rather packaged using ox dung as a sealing material. Unlike other wines, ox dung wine is made from small-pot rice liquor traditionally brewed by the local Dai people using their customary methods and tools. The liquor used to make this wine must be at least 55 degrees. Once the liquor is selected, they will seal several hundred to over a thousand pounds of it in a large vat for two years to allow the wine to mature. After maturation, the wine is taken out and bottled separately in hand-fired clay jars ranging in capacity from one jin (approximately 0.5 kg) to twenty jin (approximately 10 kg). The jars are then sealed with wooden stoppers and wrapped at the mouth with a double layer—first a piece of gauze and then a piece of plastic film. Finally, the jar mouths are completely covered and preserved with ox dung. Some Dai villagers with slightly better conditions also choose to brew and preserve the wine using premium glutinous rice, which yields an even better taste.

　　In recent years, as the reputation of Lianghe’s ox dung wine has grown, more and more sellers have entered the market. Prices for a ten-jin jar of the wine range from 280 yuan to 888 yuan, with varying quality—not all are poor quality, and high prices do not always guarantee good wine. This situation has been quite a headache for many ox dung wine enthusiasts: how can one buy a jar of ox dung wine that is truly worth the price? Drawing on my ten years of tasting experience, I boldly offer a few purchasing tips: 1. Ask about the production region. As everyone knows, the origin of ox dung wine is the Dai villages in Mengyang Town, Lianghe County. When buying ox dung wine outside Mengyang, you must ask where the wine is from. If it's not from Mengyang, it's not recommended to buy. Even if it is from Mengyang, you should further inquire whether the rice used in brewing comes from the basin area of Mengyang Town. If the brewing rice is sourced from Myanmar or elsewhere, or if it's leftover, broken, or moldy rice, it's not recommended to purchase. You might wonder, what does the origin have to do with the wine’s quality? It has a direct connection. No matter how good the ox dung wine is, it all depends on the rice. And the quality of the rice depends on factors such as sunlight exposure, temperature, rainfall, and growth cycle. The natural environment cannot be replicated. The appearance of ox dung wine may be imitated, but its fragrant, soft, and exceptionally strong aftertaste cannot be copied.