Nanlang Wine

Nanlang Wine

　　Nanlang Wine gets its name from the village of Nanlang, where it has been brewed for more than 700 years. During the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, poets and scholars left behind the admiring lines, “Should a drunkard stumble in, he must drink his fill; if you can’t hold your liquor, best not meet it at all.” In 1996, it was named a “China Local Historical Famous Liquor” by the China Liquor Culture Research Association. Nanlang Wine is primarily made from locally grown Da Baigu rice using traditional brewing techniques. With its authentic flavor and natural enjoyment, it has won the hearts of many consumers. Among the people, it has long been a treasured treat for hosting guests and friends. For a long time, a popular folk saying in Guangnan has been: “A square table with four corners, eight dishes and four bowls in the center, two cups of Nanlang down the hatch, big or small matters are easy to discuss.”

　　In the Zhuang language, “Nanlang” carries meanings of good fortune, purity, and beauty. In Nanlang Township, there is a spring with excellent water quality. It is said that drinking this water keeps one healthy and the skin moisturized, while washing hair with it results in glossy black locks. The area also produces a precious type of rice known as “Babao Rice,” which was once an imperial tribute. Nanlang Wine is made from Babao and other local rice varieties, using water from the Nanlang Spring, with Rhizopus-based small koji as the saccharifying and fermenting agent. It is a distinctive local liquor. “Should a drunkard stumble in, he must drink his fill; if you can’t hold your liquor, best not meet it at all” — this is a verse of praise for Nanlang Wine by Chen Longzhang, a successful candidate in the imperial examination during the Qing Dynasty. Legend has it that when Song Xiang (a Guangdong Jiazhou scholar-official who served as the Guangnan Prefect from 1819–1820) held that post, the Daoguang Emperor, missing his teacher, prepared a selection of his favorite dishes and fine wines from the capital to send to Song Xiang. Upon learning of this, Song Xiang told the emperor, “I accept the delicacies and dishes, but as for fine wine, we have the famous Nanlang Wine here in Guangnan — you can spare the ones from the capital.” This shows just how renowned and popular Nanlang Wine was at the time.

　　The brewing of Nanlang Wine is highly meticulous. In addition to using high-quality water (deep well soft water with a constant temperature year-round, unaffected by dry or wet seasons, and crystal clear), along with the local specialty Da Baigu rice and white corn, a secret herbal formula is used to make the starter mash. The process involves sealing in earthenware jars, low-temperature saccharification and fermentation, slow-fire distillation, discarding the foreshots and tails, graded storage, and careful blending—all traditional techniques. The resulting wine is crystal clear, richly aromatic, smooth on the palate, and leaves a sweet aftertaste.

　　Nanlang Wine is a renowned local specialty product. It has won multiple provincial and prefectural awards for quality, including a gold award at the Wenshan International Sanqi Festival. In 1992, it was honored with the title of “China Historical and Cultural Famous Liquor.”