Xinfeng White Fermented Wine

Xinfeng White Fermented Wine

　　 Xinfeng White Fermented Wine The town of Xinfeng in Lintong was an ancient and renowned settlement built during the Han Dynasty by Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang. He modeled it after his hometown of Fengyi, constructing it for his father who longed to return home. The white fermented wine was created under Liu Bang’s decree, using traditional brewing methods from his hometown. It is said that in the past, Xinfeng wine was brewed using water from fish ponds, with rice and wheat as the main ingredients, triple fermented, six sun-dried, and nine (long) periods of aging. After the death of the Supreme Emperor (Liu Bang’s father), the white fermented wine was served as one of the imperial wines, gaining widespread fame throughout the country. It reached its peak during the Tang Dynasty, as the saying goes, “Famed wine comes from Xinfeng in Chang’an.” The poet Wang Jian wrote: “Willows sway before the palace, flowers bloom before the temple, / A hundred taverns hang their wine banners high above.” This shows just how many taverns there were in Xinfeng. Wang Wei praised the wine’s nobility in his verse: “Fine wine from Xinfeng costs ten thousand coins a gallon, / Young blades roam Xianyang full of mettle and gall, / Meeting, they drink in high-spirited throng, / Tying their steeds by willows along tall halls.” Even Li Bai mentioned it with the line, “Who truly gets drunk on Xinfeng wine?” These all testify to the wine’s prestige during the Tang era. Though Xinfeng wine has a long and storied history, it nearly disappeared in more recent times. In 1983, Lintong County revived this historic delicacy by establishing the Xinfeng White Fermented Wine Brewery. Following traditional brewing techniques and using water from the “Sweet Spring” near the site of the Hongmen Banquet, they produced a low-alcohol sweet wine — the new-style white fermented wine. It contains 5.5% alcohol, 22.6% glucose, and 0.89% sucrose. Richly aromatic and pleasantly sweet with a balanced acidity, it retains the inherent qualities described as “soft, delicious, and sweet as maltose.” Nutritious and beneficial for stimulating appetite and aiding digestion, it is an excellent choice for entertaining honored guests. It is now packaged in gourd-shaped ceramic bottles, inscribed with the famous line “Fine wine from Xinfeng costs ten thousand coins a gallon,” and placed in a nylon mesh bag for easy carrying by tourists. Today, it is available at major restaurants in both Xinfeng Town and Lintong County.