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Ever since Shaoxing made its first bottle of wine as early as 492 B.C.,
people have been hooked for centuries after centuries.
Traditions die hard. The wineries in Shaoxing today are not much different
from the past; their facilities as well as the winemaking process remain
the same.
------ The winery workers are farmers from
the surrounding areas, who came to work every winter and return to farming
the next spring when the winemaking season ends. One told me his job
was to spread the rice from Jiafan wine. When the temperature reaches
65 degree Celsius, another worker takes the thermometer from the rice
and the two of them carry the bucket onto a handcart, which, steaming
like a locomotive, crawls away. Once inside the fermenting workshop,
the rice is dumped into a huge jar. Three strong men, each using an
oar-like bar to stir the rice, and an old man spreads distiller's yeast
into the jar. The jar is then sealed with a woven straw lid. While rubbing
his hands on the apron, the elderly worker told me that the yeast not
only caused the rice to ferment but also created a fragrant aroma. There
were more than 100 huge jars in the workshop and each could produce
300 kg of wine.
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