China’s “Maotai”

Moutai, known as China’s “national liquor”, is produced in Maotai Town (formerly a village) in Renhuai County, Guizhou It also enjoys the reputation of "when the wind blows, thousands of houses next door get drunk, and when the rain blows, ten miles of incense is opened from the bottle". This "special grass fragrance" is refreshing and intoxicating. Any cup that has been filled with Maotai liquor will still be fragrant after many days in the bottle, and it is known as the "fragrance in an empty cup" and "fragrance in a bottle". Because Moutai is rich but not strong, soft and fragrant, the Qing Dynasty poet Zheng Zhen once gave it the reputation of "the best wine in Guizhou".

There are many legends and stories about Maotai liquor, the most beautiful of which is: According to legend, one New Year’s Eve, there was sudden heavy snowfall and biting cold wind in Maotai Town. There was a young man named Li who lived in the town. He saw a man in ragged clothes. The old woman was lying stiff at the door, so she carried him into the house and lit a fire to keep warm. She entertained the old man with homemade rice wine. He then gave the old woman the bed to sleep in and lay down on the floor beside the fire. I heard the wonderful sound of the piano in the dimness, and a fairy floated from the horizon. She was wearing a colorful feather gauze and holding a sparkling wine glass. She stood in front of her and tilted the wine in the glass to the ground. Suddenly, the air was filled with a rich aroma of wine, and she appeared in front of her. A twinkling Milky Way. When the young man woke up, there was a strong fire in the house, the water and food were still warm, and the bedding on the bed was neat and tidy, as if no one had slept there. When he opened the door, he saw that the wind and snow had stopped, and a crystal clear river flowed through the door of the house. , the fragrance of wine floats on the river. Since then, the locals have used the river water given by the fairy to make wine, and the "Flying Fairy" pattern has been used as the trademark of Moutai liquor.

Although it is a legend, it is true that Maotai, located on the bank of Chishui River, has been famous for its wine making since ancient times. People in the Qing Dynasty once chanted a line to praise the Chishui River, "Gathering spiritual springs into one body, collecting beautiful water flowing eastward", and the fame of Maotai liquor may be related to the excellent quality of the local water. According to relevant documents, as early as more than 2,000 years ago, Gu Ren The wine near Huai was once praised by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty for its "sweetness". In the Northern Song Dynasty, high-quality Daqu liquor was produced near Maotai Town. Zhang Nengchen's "Liquor Names" of the Song Dynasty was recorded in the history of liquor for its excellent quality. In the 43rd year of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty, after repeated experiments, countless improvements and improvements, he finally figured out a unique brewing technology and created unique Moutai. "Qianyu" says: "Everything in Guizhou is full of spring", which was called "Maotai Spring" at that time. After continuous brewing and improvement, Moutai was rated as the second best liquor in the world and won the gold medal at the 1915 Panama International Exposition. For more than half a century, it has been praised by the world for its exquisite brewing skills and unique color, aroma and taste. It is famous all over the world and has become a "famous pearl among wines" in domestic and foreign markets.