Yellow wine also called “yellow liquor” or “rice wine” is a type of Chinese alcoholic beverage brewed directly from grains such as rice, millet or wheat. Such liquors contain less than 20% alcohol, due to the inhibition of fermentation by ethanol at that concentration. They are traditionally pasteurized, aged and filtered before their final bottling for sale to consumers. The various styles of yellow wine may vary in color from clear to beige, yellowish-brown or reddish-brown. Yellow wine is usually aged three to five years, a bit like whiskey. So the taste is usually sweet, but mellow. It is either drunk directly after being cooled or warmed, or used in Chinese cooking for chicken, crabs, shrimps and other foods.

The flavor has a pleasant taste that even impresses non-drinkers. Since ancient times, the best and most famous rice wines have come from Shaoxing in the Zheijang province. (If you can’t find rice wine listed in the ingredients section of a Chinese cookbook, try checking under “S” for Shaoxing rice wine). The rice wines were stored at room temperature, out of the light.

Chinese "yellow liquors" (fermented wines) are classified based on several factors. Among them are the liquor's dryness, the starter used in its production, and its production method. There are many types of yellow wine across the nation, and the long-standing brand of Shaoxing yellow wine shines because of its sophisticated distilling and high quality. Endowed with favorable natural conditions and abundant mineral resources, Shaoxing, the famous water town in Southeast China is historically known as the “home of wine”. Being one of the oldest brewed wines in China, Shaoxing yellow wine has a history of over 2,400 years since the Zhou Dynasty. It had been enlisted as tribute to the emperor in the Northern and Southern Dynasties more than 1,400 years ago. A type of the Shaoxing yellow wine in a jar with a carved decorator originates from a beautiful past. In ancient time, when a baby girl was born, the parents would carve or paint jars for the yellow wine and bury the carved jar wine underground until the daughter got married, and there is a beautiful name for this kind of yellow wine as (nǚérhóng – Daughter Red). It was then the jar would be dug up for the guests to feast on at the wedding. Today, although the jars are no longer buried, the ingenious technique of carving and painting lasts. Yellow wine was so popular it became the number one drink throughout China’s history. Many a time can we read feasts in “The Dream of the Red Chamber” (one of the four famous literary works in China), that brings forth abundant Chinese wine culture of which Shaoxing yellow wine really counts.

This is the formal classification for all Chinese wines. There are five categories: dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and extra-sweet.
Dry: with sugar content no greater than 1%. This type of yellow wine has the lowest fermentation temperature. An example of this kind is Yuanhongjiu (literally "Champion's Red Wine"), a specialty of Shaoxing, so-named because traditionally the wine jars are painted red.

Semi-dry: with sugar content between 1% and 3%. This type of huangjiu can be stored for a long period of time and encompasses most of the varieties of huangjiu that are exported from China. An example of this variety is Jiafanjiu (literally "Added Rice Wine"), a variation on the Yuanhongjiu that involves adding more rice in fermentation. The jiafanjiu is traditionally used for ceremonies, such as child birth, engagement, and funerals.
Semi-sweet: with sugar content between 3% and 10%. The longer the semi-sweet huangjiu is stored, the darker its color becomes. This variety of huangjiu cannot be stored for long periods of time. An example of this kind is Shanniangjiu (literally "Best Made Wine"), a specialty of Shaoxing which partly uses vintage Yuanhongjiu instead of water.
Sweet: with sugar content between 10% and 20%. An example of this variety is Feng Gang Jiu (literally "Conceal Earth Jar Wine"). In comparison to previous types of huangjiu, sweet huangjiu can be manufactured all year round when using traditional production methods.
Extra-sweet: with sugar content equal or greater than 20%. An example of this variety is Xiang Xue Jiu (literally "Fragrant Snow Wine").

Small starter (xiǎo qū): Wines inoculated using rice cultured with yeast, and other microorganisms. The mixture generates less heat, so they are mostly used in the tropical South of China.
Large starter (jiǔ qū): Wines inoculated using rice cultured with yeast. Almost all popular alcoholic drinks in China belong to this type.
Red starter (hóng qū): Wines those are flavored and colored with red rice molds of the Meniscus genus.

Hot rice: The steamed rice used to make the wine is cooled in the open air until it is still relatively warm before processing.
Cool rice: The steamed rice used to make the wine is quenched with cold water before further processing. The unfiltered mash for this wine is sometimes eaten as a dessert or used as an inoculant for other Chinese wines.
Feeding rice: Steamed rice is continuously fed into a fermenting mixture (up to three times), which produces a sweeter wine.
Fortified: Distilled Chinese wines are added to the fermenting mash, which increases the concentration of alcohol in the mash and halts the fermentation process. This leaves a significant quantity of unfermented sugars, thus producing an especially sweet tasting wine.

Bottles of huadiao jiuSome of the most popular yellow liquors include:
Mijiu is the generic name for Chinese fermented rice wine, similar to Japanese sake. It is generally clear, and is used for both drinking and cooking. Mijiu intended for cooking often contains 1.5% salt. Alcohol content by volume: 12-19.5%.
Fujian glutinous rice wine (Fújiàn nuòmǐ jiǔ). Which was made by adding a long list of expensive Chinese medicinal herbs to glutinous rice and a low alcohol distilled rice wine. The unique brewing technique uses another wine as raw material, instead of starting with water. The wine has an orange-red color. Alcohol content by volume: 18%.

Huadiao jiu ("flowery carving wine"), also known as nu'er hong ("daughter red"): a variety of huangjiu that originates from Shaoxing, in the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang. It is made of glutinous rice and wheat. This wine evolved from the Shaoxing tradition of burying nu'er hong underground when a daughter was born, and digging it up for the wedding banquet when the daughter was to be married. The containers would be decorated with bright colors as a wedding gift. To make the gift more appealing, people began to use pottery with flowery carvings and patterns. Huadiao jiu's alcohol content is 16% by volume.
Shaoxing wine (Shàoxīng jiǔ) is the more internationally known high grade version. It is commonly used in Chinese cooking as well as for drinking. The reddish color of these wines is imparted by red yeast rice. One prominent producer of Shaoxing wine is Zhejiang Gu Yue Long Shan Shaoxing Wine Co., Ltd. of Shaoxing, Zhejiang. It is not uncommon for some varieties of Shaoxing wine to be aged for 50 years or more.
Hong lu jiu (hóng lù jiǔ; lit. "red dew wine")photo are basically made of the same wine except they are of lower grade than Shaoxing wine. It is named differently depending on the age, the container, and how they are used.
Liaojiu ("ingredient wine") is a lower grade of huangjiu widely used in Chinese cuisine as a cooking wine. Often it is sold with various seasonings added, such as cloves, star anise, cassia, black cardamom, Sichuan pepper, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.