In the Han Dynasty, room-age yellow rice wine was widely promoted and became a funerary object for dignitaries. A large number of wine vessels containing yellow wine were found in the Han tombs unearthed in Qilihe 1974 in Fangxian County, and one of the big jars still contains yellow wine at that time.
Fangling yellow rice wine flourished in the Tang Dynasty. In the first year of Tang Sisheng (AD 684), Wuhou usurped the throne and deposed Tang Zhongzong Li Xian as king of Luling. King Luling was demoted to Zhoufang (now Fangxian), with 720 royal craftsmen under his command. This is the legend that King Luling brought 700 craftsmen to Zhoufang. Fangxian County is located in Shiyan City, Hubei Province, at the foot of the famous Shennongjia Mountain, surrounded by mountains, towering old trees and wild fields. At that time, there were no cities for governance, only natural villages located in the north-south river delta. When King Luling arrived in Zhoufang, he assessed the terrain, built palaces, dispersed the craftsmen he brought to the people and taught them skills.
Two years later, there was a drought in Zhoufang, and the two rivers were cut off. People have no water to eat, and their prayers to God have not been fulfilled. Many people have to abandon their homes and flee. King Luling also worried about water all day, and sent people everywhere to look for water sources and check the places where wells were dug. One day, I came to the intersection of the north and south rivers and found cracks, dead trees and hay everywhere, except for a clump of water rushes with green leaves. When the king of Luling came forward to pull up the water lamp grass, he saw a clear spring flowing over and digging deep. The bigger the pit, the more prosperous it is. King Luling took a sip of water, which was sweet and delicious. So the civilian worker was transferred to dig a well, and when he was tired, he could drink a well water to eliminate fatigue. Strangely, people who drink this well water, the old people feel young, and the young people feel stronger after drinking it. Millions of people come to drink well water. Picking water all day long, the well water is scarce, the rainstorm is pouring down, the river is soaring, and the well water is not rising, so it was once called the sacred well water by the locals. King Luling built an octagonal glass well with glass. Craftsmen use the secret recipe handed down from ancestors, corn, rice, sorghum and buckwheat as raw materials, and use this well water to make wine, which is fragrant all year round. King Luling didn't dare to drink alone, so he installed four shrines, sealed them with his own hands, sent someone to escort Chang 'an to pay tribute, and presented books to Wu Zetian to describe the efficacy of divine water. Please seal the name of the wine.
After Wu Zetian demoted her son to Zhou Fang, she sent someone to inquire about her son Li Xian from time to time. She was very happy to hear that her son was diligent in politics and Bud was everywhere. When she opened the temple and tasted it, she felt that her eyes were clear and her mouth was full of strange fragrance, and she even called it good wine. Xu Yanbo, the attending doctor, said, "Zhou Fang's spring water is a treasure on the royal table, blessed by the son of heaven. I am so happy that I will be drunk in the palace. Named' Fangling Yujiu'! " A letter from the emperor made this wine famous. Sichuan, Shaanxi and Huguang all came to Zhoufang to taste this wine and drank it quickly. King Luling is also addicted to this kind of wine, and gradually gives birth to the feeling of "drinking three small cups of yellow rice wine every day without bothering Fangling people".
In the thirty-eighth year of Kangxi, the octagonal glazed well was built by Dong Fang, a magistrate of a county, and the "Tiefo Temple" was built. On a cloudy day, you can hear the tide under the real military statue. The "Tiefo Temple" no longer exists, but the well water is still abundant. Fangxian Brewery built a factory next to the site of Bajiao Liulijing, taking this well water as juice, taking Fangxian high-quality glutinous rice as raw material, and taking the ditty made by ancestral secret recipe as the song. After traditional processing and repeated fermentation, it became yellow wine. There are many classification methods of rice wine in Fangxian county, which can be divided into Daqu liquor and Xiaoqu liquor according to the different tunes used. Daqu liquor is easy to produce on a large scale, but it is easy to have a headache after drinking it. Xiaoqu liquor has less output but high quality.
Fangxian yellow rice wine is divided into old wine, tender wine and sweet wine because of its different uses, alcohol content and storage period. There are three colors: green, yellow and milky white. Green wine, also known as ground-sealed wine, is to put the finished yellow wine into a pottery jar, seal it with yellow mud and bury it underground. After a year or several years of excavation, the wine smells like water, but it tastes dull, but it is full of stamina, so it is also called "getting drunk when you go out", "falling with the wind" and "smelling the fragrance through the bottle".
Yellow rice wine is to open the jar with cold water, separate the bad grains and put them in the jar. After several times of wine accumulation and storage for a period of time, the wine quality was pale yellow and the alcohol content was relatively straightforward. There are also people who drink raw juice directly, that is, preserved fruit. No water is added when drinking, and the taste is mellow and long, but it is full of stamina. If you drink too much water, you will get drunk faster.
Sweet fermented grains are drunk with wine and fermented grains. The technological process is the same as wine making, except that the music is missing, and the yellow wine can be drunk after it is soaked. This kind of wine is very sweet, not strong, and it is a traditional refreshment in Fangxian County. Mostly used for recovery, breastfeeding and lactation after confinement (giving birth to children), commonly known as "like bad children". On the fifteenth day of the first month of the Lantern Festival, the dumplings cooked with glutinous rice balls are also called "sweet and round".
Fangxian has a traditional habit of brewing yellow rice wine all year round, and weddings and funerals are essential. People in Fangxian often say: "No yellow wine is a feast, even the best white wine is". People in Fangxian must use a big bowl when drinking, and truly realize the happiness of "drinking a big bowl of wine and eating a large piece of meat". Put the prepared raw materials into the prepared dimples (woven with straw for heat preservation), control the temperature at 27℃-30℃, and generally ferment within 24 hours. When the dimple is full of decanting water, scoop up the decanting water with a spoon, spray it evenly on the surface of distiller's grains (called head in local language), then cool it to 24-25℃ and put it into 60℃. Generally, the ratio of wine is 1:3, that is, a bowl of distiller's grains is mixed with three bowls of water. After the distiller's grains float on it, they are inserted into the wine drawer (bamboo basket woven with bamboo strips) and drained after 24 hours, which is mellow and delicious yellow wine. If it is stored for a long time, it must be folded once or twice, that is, the sake is transferred to other containers, and the remaining turbid substances (called Jiuliangzi in local language) are stored separately for dough mixing or other purposes. The steamed bread made is fragrant, sweet and soft, which is unparalleled. After several twists and turns, rice wine became clearer and more beige. Whether it is warm or cold when drinking depends on the person. It's hot in winter to keep out the cold, and cool in summer to quench your thirst. To make wine, the first thing is to soak glutinous rice, usually from breakfast to three or four o'clock after lunch. Then take out the soaked glutinous rice and put it in a basket to drain. When it stops dripping, it can be steamed in a cage. It is most appropriate to add water to the pot and submerge the bottom of the steamer by three inches. Heat to boiling, cover and force ventilation. When the fog in the cage is full and thick, glutinous rice can be served. Glutinous rice is very delicate when served. You can't pour a whole basin. You should shake a spoonful at a time and apply it evenly layer by layer. The "medium" (cooked glutinous rice) steamed in this way is heated evenly and will not be caught in the dough. This step is called "jumping up", and it is very important to make good wine. Put glutinous rice on it, wrap a towel on the upper edge of the steamer to prevent it from breathing, and heat and pressurize it. When the heat couldn't stop, I covered the lid with all my strength and got out. Almost ready. Open the lid and stir with chopsticks. If it doesn't come loose and stick, it's soft and bright, which means it's completely cooked and can be released. This cooked medium with sugar is delicious. It's the same as fat. Eating too much will make you tired. Take out some of these "media", add sugar, rub hard, rub, rub, grind into cakes and paste them on the kang in the pot. This is "Ciba". It's heavy and tough and delicious. Dry these "media" until they are warm, mix them evenly with crushed music, put them into a jar, and inject appropriate amount of water, which will be warm in winter and cool in summer. If it is in winter, it is best to wrap straw, rice bran or cotton wool around the jar to keep warm. Everything is ready, just wait for it to be sweet.