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{{#seo:
|title=Fenjiu (汾酒 Xinghuacun Fen Liquor, Light-Aroma Baijiu) - Chinese Food Wiki
|keywords=Fenjiu,汾酒,Fen Jiu,Fen wine,Xinghuacun,杏花村,杏花村汾酒,light aroma baijiu,清香型白酒,qingxiang,Fenyang,Shanxi,Zhuyeqing
|description=Fenjiu (汾酒) is a light-aroma (qingxiang) baijiu from Xinghuacun, Fenyang, Shanxi, made from sorghum with a barley-and-pea qu and fermented in buried clay jars; it is the model of the light-aroma style.
}}

{{Infobox chinese food
| image = Fenjiu.jpg
| caption = Bottles of Fenjiu
| alternate_name = 汾酒; Fen Jiu; Fen wine; Xinghuacun Fenjiu (杏花村汾酒); Lao Bai Fen (老白汾)
| pinyin = Fén jiǔ
| type = Baijiu (distilled sorghum spirit), light aroma (清香)
| course = Beverage (banquet spirit)
| country = China
| region = Xinghuacun, Fenyang, Lüliang, [[Shanxi Food|Shanxi]]
| other = Brewing technique on the first national intangible cultural heritage list (2006)
}}

'''Fenjiu''' (Simplified and Traditional Chinese: 汾酒; Pinyin: ''Fén jiǔ'') is a [[Baijiu]] from the village of '''Xinghuacun''' ("Apricot Blossom Village") in Fenyang, central [[Shanxi Food|Shanxi]]. It is regarded as the model of the '''light-aroma''' (清香, ''qingxiang'') style — clean, dry and fragrant — and is one of the oldest named spirits in China. The main producer is the Shanxi Xinghuacun Fenjiu group.<ref name="ich">[https://www.ihchina.cn/project_details/14367.html China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network: 杏花村汾酒酿制技艺 (Xinghuacun Fenjiu brewing technique)]</ref><ref name="zh">[https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/汾酒 Chinese Wikipedia: 汾酒]</ref>

== Origin and region ==

Archaeological digs at the Xinghuacun site found Neolithic pottery vessels that some researchers interpret as fermentation jars, so the area is often described as having about 6,000 years of brewing history; this interpretation is debated. Grain wine from the Fen River area is mentioned in histories of the Northern Qi dynasty (6th century), and by the Ming and Qing periods "Fenjiu" was the name of a well-known distilled spirit. A company-run distillery took over village workshops in the early 20th century, and a state distillery was founded around 1948–1949.<ref name="zh" /><ref name="ich" />

The Tang poet Du Mu's poem ''Qingming'' ends with a herd boy pointing to a tavern in "Apricot Blossom Village". Fenyang claims this village, but other places — notably Chizhou in Anhui — make the same claim, so the link to Fenjiu is '''traditional and unproven'''.<ref name="zh" />

== Raw materials ==

* '''Sorghum''' from the Jinzhong plain
* '''Qu''' — a ''daqu'' starter made from barley and peas
* '''Water''' from local wells

Overview only — not a recipe.

== Production (overview) ==

Fenjiu uses a method often summarised as "clear steaming, twice clear" (清蒸二次清). Raw grain and husks are steamed separately, and the cooked sorghum is mixed with qu and fermented in clay jars buried in the ground (地缸), rather than in mud pits. After about four weeks the fermented grain is distilled, then fermented a second time with more qu and distilled again. The two distillates are stored separately in ceramic jars and later blended.<ref name="zh" /><ref name="ich" /> Because no old grain is mixed back in, the process gives a cleaner, lighter aroma than strong-aroma baijiu. The brewing technique was included in the first batch of the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006.<ref name="ich" />

== Style and taste ==

Light-aroma baijiu is described as pure, crisp and slightly sweet, with a clean finish and aromas of fresh grain and flowers; ethyl acetate is the main aroma compound. [[Erguotou]] from Beijing and Taiwan's [[Kinmen Kaoliang]] are also light-aroma spirits.<ref name="ich" />

== Culture ==

Fenjiu was among the four famous liquors named at China's first national liquor evaluation in 1952.<ref name="zh" /> Fenjiu is also used as the base for '''Zhuyeqing''' (竹叶青, "bamboo leaf green"), a sweetened, herb-infused liqueur that is not the same as the green tea of the same name. Xinghuacun has a liquor museum and preserved old workshops and wells.<ref name="ich" />

== Notes ==

* The Fenjiu brand should not be confused with the many sorghum spirits sold simply as ''gaoliang'' (高粱酒).
* This page does not give prices or buying advice.

== See also ==

* [[Chinese Alcohol]]
* [[Baijiu]]
* [[Shanxi Food]]
* [[Erguotou]]
* [[Moutai]]
* [[Chinese Drink]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

Fenjiu - Revision history

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