Wines

In China, wines are not thought of as they are in the West. All drinkable alcohols are considered generically wines, or chiew, which is how they are most often labeled, though you will occasionally see jiu, the romanized Mandarin equivalent. Thus, there are wine chiew, spirits chiew, liqueur chiew, and beer chiew. In China’s long history of wines, one chiew stands out—the rice-based Shaoxing—that is made in the same region as Chinkiang vinegar. Hundreds of wines come from the more than eight hundred wineries in the Shaoxing area. A cooked mash of glutinous rice is mixed with yeasts and clear water and permitted to ferment in pottery crocks. As the wines age, they change from yellow to pale amber to the color of brandy. Aged from 3 to 10 years, they vary in quality. I use Supreme Hua Tiao Chiew, the most respected brand from Shaoxing. The amber wine is an indispensable addition to marinades and sauces. If that brand is unavailable, look for Shaoxing Far Chiew, a generic term much like Burgundy. Or, in the absence of a Chinese product, use a medium-dry sherry such as an amontillado (see Shaoxing wines for drinking).