Shuangtao wine, a provincial intangible heritage project of Jiangsu, is yellow wine made of sticky rice. Unlike other wineries, Yuqi Winery applies special techniques when making the yellow wine, relying on traditional skills that have developed over the years.
Yuqi's traditional winemakers are at their busiest in summer, when the mercury often rises to 40 degrees Celsius. That's because summer is the perfect time to make "jiuqu", a centuries-old yeast mixture that is used to produce many kinds of Chinese wine, including Wuxi's famous local brew, Yuqi Shuangtao wine.
Weigh about 1.5 kilograms, bricks of "jiuqu" are hung on shelves in a store room kept at the appropriate temperature and humidity. [Photo/wxrb.com]
Many companies in Wuxi still make "jiuqu" using traditional techniques. The workers first have to smash the wheat husks, before making the bricks of "jiuqu". The bricks then have to be dried for a month in a room kept at around 40 degrees.
Located in northwest Wuxi, Yuqi town is renowned for its various intangible heritages and thousands of years of history.Besides historical folk arts, visitors can also try the delicious foods that Yuqi is famous for, including sticky rice cake, big pancakes and Shuangtao wine.
Also, Yuqi has made great efforts in creating a livable environment for its residents.
