Expats in Suzhou explore winter wine ahead of Winter Solstice

As grand as the New Year, the Winter Solstice brings small family reunions. Suzhou is now permeated with strong festive vibes as the Winter Solstice is just around the corner. Crowds throng the stalls of Dongniangjiu, or Suzhou winter wine. Locals wait with jars and bottles for the loose wine, newcomers relish its sweet flavor, and even expats queue up and immerse themselves in this millennium-old cultural heritage of Suzhou.

The city's official expat platform iSuzhou organized a winter wine cultural experience event recently. British participant Mark Bosson and three international students from Soochow University—Meerim, Nazgul, and Aizharykova Gulkaiyr—embarked on a cultural exploration journey of winter wine through hands-on experiences, visits to the production line, cultural explanations, and interactive tastings.

At the Caixiang Wet Market, the Dongwu Winery's loose wine stall was adorned with festive decorations. Beneath a banner reading "The Winter Solstice is as Grand as the New Year," locals queued in an orderly manner. And Mark Bosson was also in the line. The shopkeeper took his bottle and poured the golden-hued wine with practiced precision using a long-handled spoon. A refreshingly sweet fragrance, carrying the rich aroma of osmanthus, permeated the air.

For most Suzhou locals, winter wine is their first sip of wine. Mark said this was also his first taste of the winter wine this year. He eagerly twisted off the cap and took a sip. "It tastes really sweet and fragrant! That's really good," he noted.

The group then visited the Suzhou Winter Wine Cultural Exhibition Hall at the Dongwu Winery, where they learned about the regional traditions of the Winter Solstice and the ancient brewing techniques. They also entered the factory and observed the production process of the winter wine up close.

The person in charge of Dongwu Winery told the foreign visitors that the traditional winter wine brewing method involves 12 steps, including soaking rice, steaming rice, mixing with yeast, creating fermentation pits, adding ingredients, and aging in jars. It's a slow process with low temperatures.

Today, modern production tools are integrated with traditional techniques, resulting in contemporary winter wine that retains its traditional characteristics while catering to the tastes of modern consumers.

Mark and the three students savored winter wine, observing its hues and inhaling its aroma. "The wine smells just like flowers," Aizharykova Gulkaiyr from Kyrgyzstan exclaimed with excitement.

A small cup of winter wine exudes the fresh aroma of Taihu glutinous rice and the autumn-kissed osmanthus fragrance. Beyond that, it transcends borders as the warmest winter greeting. Let us raise our glasses like Mark and the three foreign students to toast the reunion on the Winter Solstice!

Source: iSuzhou