How to Make Rice Wine

Rice wine is a part of daily life throughout Asia and has been for centuries. The wine is mentioned as early as China's Shang Dynasty in inscriptions carved into bone and tortoise shell that date between the 16th and 11th centuries B.C. Today it is still made at home and is considered a traditional staple of any family or community festivity.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 4 cups of raw, glutinous rice
• 1/4 Chinese yeast ball
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• Rice steamer or equivalent
• Medium-sized tray
• Cheese cloth
• Medium container with a tight-fitting lid
• Airtight jar or bottle

1. Soak raw, glutinous rice in hot water for 1 hour.

2. Drain and then steam the rice either in a commercial steamer or in a colander over boiling water for 25 minutes.

3. Spread the rice out on a tray and allow it to cool for 2 hours.

4. Grind the Chinese yeast into a uniform powder and mix it with the flour.

5. Combine the rice and yeast mixture by hand until blended.

6. Transfer the mixture to a container and cover tightly with a lid. Store the container in a warm, dry place and allow the mixture to ferment for 1 month.

7. Separate the liquid from the remaining rice mixture. The liquid is rice wine and the residual is rice mash. Wrap the mash in cheesecloth and squeeze to extract the remaining wine.

8. Place the rice wine in an airtight container, such as a jar or bottle. Refrigerate the wine to stop the fermentation process and keep the wine from turning into vinegar. The wine ages in its container and changes from an amber color to black while developing a sherry-like flavor.

Tips & Warnings

• Rice wine can be aged in its airtight container for years and can attain an alcohol volume of 22 percent, the highest possible from natural fermentation.

• Rice wine is classified as either dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet, sweet or extra-sweet depending on when the fermentation of sugar into alcohol is stopped. The earlier fermentation is stopped, the sweeter the wine.

• Avoid touching any food with a high acid content, especially lemons, while preparing rice wine. Any contact with such acid could turn the wine to vinegar.