Combination of nature and nurture creates a drink that could grow on you

Harvest season in the bamboo forests of eastern Zhejiang province doesn't just mean fresh shoots for the dinner table, but also, perhaps surprisingly, some of the best rice wine in the country. Brewed and then injected into cavities of a live bamboo plant to mature for about three months, it's a delicious amber liquid with a thick bamboo aroma.

A century-old local grain store in the city of Ningbo, Wangshengda (王升大) has perfected the preparation method. First, wine is made, usually the traditional way: Fermented glutinous rice is steamed in a wooden bucket with a metal pot on top. A funnel is placed in between. Cold water is continually poured into the pot so that the steam condenses at the bottom, falls through the funnel and is collected in another container. The resulting shaojiu ("burned spirit") is a strong liquor, around 52 percent alcohol by volume. At Wangshengda, the whole distilling process still happens in the village kitchen under the eye of experienced brewers, instead of a factory.

With tanks full of liquor, the staff at Wangshengda hike to an altitude of 600 meters into a bamboo wood, planted precisely for making perfect storage containers. A strong, healthy bamboo is ideal, and can hold three "joints" of liquor. Any more will affect the bamboo's growth, "drinking" it to death. The liquor is stored for about 100 days, as the plant absorbs the spirit and alcohol, causing the alcohol by volume to drop to about 30 percent.

There are scattered historical records mentioning various types of "bamboo wine", but the current method was inspired by the great-grandfather of Wangshengda's current manager, Wang Luke. It is said that this Wang forebear liked to bring wine with him in a pottery jar whenever he went to dig bamboo shoots to eat. One day, his jar cracked a little and started to leak, so he poured the wine into the cavity of a bamboo stump. Days later, he recalled the wine while revisiting the area, so he had a snifter and consequently discovered a fresh bamboo fragrance. Wang's family then tested various methods and storage periods, and came up with the current system. It is also why Wangshengda gave the brand name "Old Grandpa" to its bamboo wine.

There are, of course, various health claims made about the bamboo wine, such as the idea that it can "cleanse lungs" and "improve circulation", although none have been proved. The novelty factor and deliciousness are enough for many Chinese wine lovers.

Courtesy of The World of Chinese; www.theworldofchinese.com

The World of Chinese

Word box

釀酒 niàngjiǔ brewing

燒酒 shāojiǔ burned spirit

竹子 zhú zi bamboo

勸君更盡一杯酒，西出陽關無故人

quàn jūn gèng jǐn yībēi jiǔ, xī chū yáng guān wú gù rén

One sentence from a famous Chinese ancient poem, written by Wang Wei in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), shows the poet's feeling of loss when his friend is leaving:

My dear friend, please drink one more cup of wine. There will be no old friend (to drink with you) after you leave me for the west.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 12/01/2017 page23)