At Dongqu, winter brewing, terroir and single-vintage production are redefining how Shaoxing wine and Chinese yellow wine are experienced today
Shaoxing wine has existed for thousands of years, yet for much of its life it has been treated as something fixed: traditional, ceremonial, perhaps even nostalgic. At Dongqu, founder Chen Zhi is doing something deceptively radical, slowing down to explain what Shaoxing wine actually is, why it tastes the way it does, and why it deserves to be judged on its own terms rather than as a curiosity from the past.
“Shaoxing wine is special in three ways,” Chen says. “First, it's deeply connected to its origin. It must be made in Shaoxing with local rice, wheat, and water from Jianhu Lake.” It was also China’s first alcoholic drink to receive geographic protection, a formal recognition of something producers have long known: take it out of Shaoxing, and it becomes something else.
Water is central to that identity. Drawn from Jianhu Lake, fed by mountain springs and rich in minerals, it gives the wine its distinctive savoury depth. “People have tried making Shaoxing wine elsewhere with the same methods but different water,” Chen explains. “The result never tastes the same.” Climate plays a role, too. Cold winters clarify the water and naturally regulate fermentation, meaning each year leaves its own imprint. “Each bottle tells the story of its year.”
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Wheat is used to make the yeast starter, a key driver of fermentation and flavour in Shaoxing wine
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That sense of time is built into Dongqu’s name. “ ‘Dong’ means winter, representing our winter brewing tradition,” Chen says. “‘Qu’ means fun or interest, from the Chinese idea that life should be enjoyable.” The philosophy is summed up in a line the team returns to often: “Winter frost and heavy snow, the exquisite taste comes from the cold.” It is not about romantic hardship, but about patience, accepting that certain flavours only arrive slowly.
Unlike most commercial producers, Dongqu bottles its wines as single vintages, never blending across years. “The core value of winter-brewed yellow wine lies in its uniqueness and authenticity,” Chen says. “Each year's harvest reflects that year's specific climate and terroir.” Where blending aims for consistency, Dongqu embraces difference. “2007's snow created elegant wine, 2009's cold made umami flavours, 2010's heat made bold wine.”
The process itself is tightly bound to the agricultural calendar. High-starch Taihu glutinous rice is harvested in late November; wheat yeast is prepared during autumn, when osmanthus blooms; brewing begins at the solar term Beginning of Winter and ends with jars sealed during the spring equinox (part of the traditional 24 solar terms, marking equal day or night length around March 20). From start to finish, there are 36 manual steps, followed by ageing in clay jars for eight to ten years.
