Boli Blueberry Wine

Boli Blueberry Wine

　　Blue honeysuckle, also known as black bear fruit or mountain eggplant, is a plant of the genus Lonicera in the family Caprifoliaceae. It is primarily produced around the Changbai Mountains (at altitudes of 700-1800m), the Wandashan Mountain Range, and the Laoye Ling Mountain Range in China, with the largest reserves found in Boli County. The Boli blue honeysuckle fruit is dark blue with a white powdery coating, elliptical or oblong in shape, approximately 1-3 cm long and weighing 0.4-1.5 g per fruit. The fruit is soft, and its juice is a vivid deep rose color. It contains 17 types of amino acids essential to the human body and is rich in vitamins—several times higher than most fruits and vegetables. With a freezing period averaging below -20°C lasting over six months, its yield is extremely low. It has been designated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as a rare and precious wild berry in the world, often referred to as a “third-generation fruit.” Since 1980, the Forestry Bureau of Boli County has organized experts to research the domestication of wild blue honeysuckle, a project funded by the Heilongjiang Provincial Forestry Department and subsequently approved. A complete and mature cultivation technology system has now been established. Starting in 1982, Boli began producing blue honeysuckle wine, offering two series—dry wine and red wine—with 10 varieties. The product line has since expanded to include dried fruit, jam, juice, fruit cake, and chewable tablets.

　　Blue honeysuckle is a rare, pure, natural, green wild edible berry known as the “king of fruits,” containing 17 types of amino acids, accounting for 40% of the total essential amino acids required by the human body. Therefore, blue honeysuckle wine is a natural green food rich in various amino acids and trace elements. This wine is highly nutritious with a unique taste, and is effective in stimulating appetite, strengthening the spleen, promoting metabolism, and showing remarkable efficacy in treating hypertension and diabetes. It offers excellent nutritional and health benefits.

　　Blue honeysuckle, also called mountain eggplant fruit, is a perennial deciduous shrub whose fruit is a berry with bright deep rose-colored juice. It is easy to cultivate and widely available, mainly distributed in the Changbai Mountains of Jilin Province and the eastern mountainous areas of the Greater Khingan Range in Heilongjiang Province. When ripe, the blue honeysuckle berries appear bluish-purple, resembling agate stones, and have a sweet and sour flavor. The berries are sweet and sour, containing seven types of amino acids and vitamin C. They can be eaten fresh, used as a natural coloring agent, or made into wine, beverages, and jam. The flower buds, fruits, and tender branches are also used medicinally for their heat-clearing and detoxifying properties.

　　Blue honeysuckle wine is made from wild, purely natural blue honeysuckle berries. Its effective components are scientifically extracted and fermented over a long period, resulting in a mellow taste and high drinking value. As a specialty liquor of Heilongjiang, blue honeysuckle wine helps prevent and fight cancer, stimulates appetite and strengthens the spleen, regulates blood pressure, softens blood vessels, enriches blood and boosts energy, nourishes beauty and prevents aging. It is also rich in nutrition, naturally colored, uniquely flavored, with a long-lasting aftertaste, full-bodied aroma, rich texture, and strong three-dimensional feel—making it an ideal nutritional health supplement.

　　Geographical Scope

　　Boli County is located in the eastern part of Heilongjiang Province and is under the jurisdiction of Qitaihe City. It borders Baoqing, Jidong, Linkou, Yilan, and Huanan County. The county has designated a protected agricultural product geographical indication area for blue honeysuckle spanning 5,000 hectares, including eleven state-owned forest farms in Boli County: Tongtian No.1 Forest Farm, Tongtian No.2 Forest Farm, Hongqi Forest Farm, Hongwei Forest Farm, Hongxing Forest Farm, Luquan Forest Farm, Hekou Forest Farm, Jixinghe Forest Farm, Fuxing Forest Farm, Changxing Forest Farm, and Dongfanghong Forest Farm. The geographical coordinates lie between 130°06′ to 131°44′ east longitude and 45°16′ to 46°37′ north latitude. Currently, the area under artificially cultivated blue honeysuckle in Boli County is 1,333 hectares, with an annual output of 1,700 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　This section mainly describes the unique quality characteristics of the registered product and the quality and safety standards followed, including: 1. Morphological Characteristics: Boli blue honeysuckle, also known as yang0, black bear fruit, or mountain eggplant fruit, is a perennial deciduous shrub of the genus Lonicera in the family Caprifoliaceae. It grows up to 1.5 meters tall. Young branches are hairy, while older branches are reddish-brown with peeling bark. Leaves are oblong, oval, or obovate-lanceolate, entire with ciliate margins and stipules born in leaf axils. The peduncle is long, the corolla is yellow-white, tubular, funnel-shaped, with five lobes, five stamens, and a pistil extending beyond the corolla; there are also strap-like bracts that fuse into a cup-shaped structure. The Boli blue honeysuckle fruit is a berry, dark blue with a white powdery coating, elliptical or oblong, about 1-3 cm long and weighing 0.4-1.5 g. The fruit is soft, and its juice is a vivid deep rose color, with a sweet and sour taste. It serves as an ideal raw material for processing wines, beverages, foods, and extracting anthocyanins. The flowering period is from May to June, and the fruits ripen in July. 2. Internal Quality and Characteristics of Boli Blue Honeysuckle: The fruit is rich in Vp active substances such as anthocyanins, rutin, and catechin, offering high medicinal value. Boli blue honeysuckle is abundant in sugars, organic acids, vitamins, etc., with Vc content tested at over 65 mg/100g, fructose content over 1.5%, soluble solids over 12%, and titratable acidity below 1%. It can be consumed fresh or processed into beverages, jams, cakes, and wines. Stems, leaves, and fruits can be used to extract natural purplish-red pigments, serving as an important source of natural food additives and also for medicinal use. The plants can also function as ornamental and landscaping species. Due to its rarity, preciousness, unique flavor, low pollution, and nourishing and medicinal properties, it is highly popular in both domestic and international markets and is known as a “third-generation fruit.” 3. Safety Requirements: The quality of Boli blue honeysuckle products complies with the NY 5086-2005 standard for pollution-free fallen berry fruits.