Dense wine (稠酒/Choujiu)

Huanggui dense wine, a famous specialty in Shaanxi province, is fermented with glutinous rice, distiller's yeast and Huanggui, or sweet-scentedosmanthus and has a history of more than 3,000 years. It is said that Tang Dynasty (618-907) emperor Li Longji's favorite concubineYangYuhuan and the great Tang poet Li Bai were drinkers of this particular wine.

The wine looks like milk and is as white as jade. It has thick, mellow and sweet texture. Upon drinking the hot wine, people can not only get the mellow taste of yellow rice wine and mashed grains, but also the fragrance of Osmanthus.

This wine is not strong. Drinkers feel a sandy feeling at the end of each sip. That sandiness is the essence of glutinous rice.

The wine has low alcoholic content. Even the elderly and children can drink a bowl or two. To increase the fragrance of the wine, sweet osmanthus can be added.

Nowadays, Huanggui dense wine is sold all over the province, but the Changlefang, Xi'an Restaurant and Laofengji are the most renowned brands for their top quality.