Gaoxian Old Wine (a specialty of Wangkui, Heilongjiang)

Introduction to Gaoxian Old Liquor

Gaoxian Old Liquor is a specialty of Huiqi Town, Wangkui County, Suihua City, Heilongjiang Province, China, and a national geographical indication product. Gaoxian Laojiao has the taste of Huzhou Laojiao and promotes the longevity of Huzhou Daqu. The main raw material is red sorghum of the same grade, which is ground into four or six halves using stone. A special ancient well water is taken as the brewing water, and the fermentation is carried out using large blocks of medium and high temperature aged koji from Yue Nian. The production process is finely crafted using continuous old five trembles. The wine is clear and transparent in quality, with a rich and mellow aroma and a long-lasting aftertaste. In 2017, after investing over 17 million yuan in equipment updates and technological upgrades, the production of Gaoxian aged liquor reached 50000 tons

Huiqi Town, Wangkui County, Suihua City, Heilongjiang Province is located on the East Asian cold black soil, which is one of the world's three major cold black soils (Heilongjiang Jilin). Using it as the basic soil for artificially cultivating old cellar mud has created the excellent quality of Gaoxian old wine. It is dark black in color and its parent material is loess like viscous sediment. It has developed into a high-altitude black soil with a deep and uniform humus layer, and there is no calcareous reaction throughout the body. The organic matter content can reach up to 15%. Soil debris particles or clustered structures, with water stable aggregates accounting for 80%. The soil layer is deep, with no calcium deposition in the profile, and there are slight small iron manganese nodules and gray white silica powder. The total amount of soil exchange and base saturation are both high. The texture is relatively sticky and heavy, mostly consisting of light clay. Humic acid and soil fertility are more than ten times that of loess. The pH is neutral or slightly alkaline

Derived from undeveloped deep black soil in Huiqi Town, Wangkui, it is a high-quality high-altitude black soil. In the process of cultivating pit mud, increase the amount of black soil according to local conditions and reduce the proportion of yellow clay; Increase the dosage of functional bacteria such as hexanoic acid bacteria, biogas fermentation broth, Daqu, and esterified red yeast; Appropriately increase the proportion of soybean meal and alcohol. At the same time, species such as fruits, distillers' grains, yellow water, wine tails, and river sludge were removed; Adopting deep well cold water mixing and solar heating. The highest fermentation temperature reaches 40 ℃, and the fermentation period is 2 months. The mud from the pit has a glossy black color, high water retention capacity, soft and delicate texture, and distinct mud, wine, and ester aromas. The number of hexanoic acid bacteria detected under the microscope exceeds the expected indicators. Especially the sharp decrease in acid producing bacteria and fungi. At room temperature, experiments were conducted on nutrient rich cellar mud for several months without any signs of spoilage or mold growth. After three rounds of fermentation in the cellar, the total acid content of the first grade wine produced is between 1.2-1.5 grams per liter, with an average alcohol content of over 60% vol. After 60 days of fermentation, the average total ester content is 4.0-5.0 grams per liter, and the average total ester content of the double round bottom fermentation is 7-8 grams per liter. The yield of first grade wine accounts for over 65%

Use of Special Marks

Producers within the production area of Gaoxian Old Liquor can apply to the Wangkui County Market Supervision Administration for the use of the "Geographical Indication Product Special Mark". After being reviewed by the Heilongjiang Provincial Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau and approved by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, it will be announced. The testing institution for Gaoxian Old Liquor is selected by the Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau of Heilongjiang Province from qualified testing institutions

What are the product characteristics of Gao Xian Lao Jiu

Gaoxian Old Wine is brewed using water from a thousand year old well, which is rich in various trace elements such as minerals. In terms of grain selection, high-quality red sorghum from cold black soil is selected, and traditional techniques are used for production. The brewing cellar is made by mixing various fruits with unique black soil and yellow mud from Northeast China and then pulling them together. Using this method, the wine has a rich aroma, fresh and refreshing taste

In the first year of the Xuantong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1909), on the 18th day of the second lunar month, the first pot was opened in the Huizi Qijing area of Wangkui County, with the name "Deyuheng". Due to Gao Xian's broad mindedness, good social skills, wealth without respect, and poverty without deception, he received praise from both the local and local communities. Over time, Gao Xian's name replaced "Deyuheng", calling Gao Xian Shaoguo, calling Baijiu Gao Xian Laojiu, and calling Hui Zi Qijing Gao Xian Shaoguo Tun

On September 18, the 20th year of the Republic of China (1931), the "September 18th" incident, the Japanese army invaded and occupied the three eastern provinces, and the Gaoxian cooking pot was forcibly occupied by the Japanese army. The name was changed to "Fuxingde", and only high Baijiu was produced, which was used as fuel for aircraft and controlled to be military products

Production method of Gaoxian aged liquor

Quality and technical requirements

1. Raw materials

1. Sorghum: High beams such as Suiza 7, Suiza 8, and Jiza 722 produced within the production area are selected, and the quality meets relevant national regulations

2. Brewing water: Non polluting groundwater within the production area is used, and the water quality meets the relevant regulations of national drinking water

2. Production process

1. Strong aroma type: using continuous fermentation starter, using medium high temperature koji as saccharification and fermentation agent, solid-state fermentation in mud cellar, mixed steaming and burning, layered wine extraction, quantity and quality wine extraction, graded aging, blending and other traditional brewing processes

2. Fragrant type: Adopting the steaming and clear grain brewing process, using medium temperature Daqu as the saccharification and fermentation agent, solid-state brick tank fermentation, steaming and flowing liquor, blending and other traditional brewing techniques

III. Process Flow

1. Strong Aroma Type: Grain Grinding → Moisturizing Material → Steaming Grain → Crushing Grain → Checking Water → Sprinkle Qu → Grinding Material → Entering the Pond → Sealing the Cellar → Stepping on the Cellar → Slippering the Cellar → Lifting the Cellar → Steaming Wine → Cooling → Measuring and Collecting Wine → Finished Product

2. Light aroma type: Grain crushing → Moisturizing → Steaming → Roasting → Soaking → Boiling → Hanging → Re steaming → Exiting → Cooling → Spreading koji → Fermentation → Steaming wine → Cooling → Finished product

IV. Key Production Control Points

(1) Strong Aroma Type

1. Cellar: It is required to use mud cellars that have been continuously used for more than 3 years, and the walls of the cellars are made of locally unique yellow clay and fruit mud, with a thickness of ≥ 80 centimeters. Specially cultivated pit mud with a thickness of ≥ 15 centimeters is applied externally on all four walls

2. Fermentation cycle: The time from the fermentation of the mash in the sealed pit to the next opening of the pit for picking up the mash and extracting the wine is ≥ 60 days

3. Steaming of liquor and materials: using continuous cropping ingredients and steaming in a barrel, steaming of liquor and materials is completed simultaneously

4. Aging: stored in traditional pottery jars and wine seas, with base wine stored for at least 3 years and seasoning wine stored for at least 5 years

5. Prohibitive requirements: no aroma and flavor substances produced by fermentation of non Baijiu shall be added in the production process

(II) Fragrant Type

1. Cellar: It is required to use continuously used brick cement cellars with a cellar age of more than 3 years, and the thickness of the cellar wall should be ≥ 50 centimeters

2. Fermentation cycle: The time from the fermentation of the mash in the sealed pit to the next opening of the pit for picking up the mash and extracting the wine is ≥ 35 days

3. Two steaming of wine: clear steaming twice, steaming in a steamer, high-temperature powder moistening, low-temperature fermentation<4. Aging: Traditional pottery jars and wine sea storage are used, with base wine stored for at least 3 years and seasoning wine stored for at least 5 years

5. Prohibitive requirements: no aroma and flavor substances produced by fermentation of non Baijiu shall be added in the production process

Awards and honors of Gao Xian Old Liquor

In the 1940s, Gao Xian Old Liquor ranked among the top at the New Beijing (Changchun) Wine Tasting Party