How Shaoxing wine, once used only for cooking, has made it onto Michelin-star drink menus
After a period of decline in which it was relegated to the kitchen, Shaoxing wine is finally reclaiming its status as a refined drink
When you think of Shaoxing wine, do you picture it in a glass or sizzling in a wok?
For most, Shaoxing wine is that clear, amber-hued cooking essential with a distinctive aromatic nose that lends sweet and briny flavours to food, deepening and enriching dishes.
But this 3,000-year-old yellow wine, made from glutinous rice, water from Jianhu Lake and a wheat-based yeast, is so much more than just a seasoning.
It is one of the oldest wines in the world and was a beverage of choice in China for the upper classes during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, as well as being a staple at official banquets.
After a period of decline, in part because of the Japanese invasion of China and Communist Party rule, Shaoxing wine is finally reclaiming the spotlight.
