The best wines for Chinese New Year

Looking--though not tasting--like western-style wines, Chinese wines have their place.Chinese wines are distinctive and unique, they are distilled spirits rather than made by the fermentation process, like in Western-style wines.

Chinese wines are distilled from grains, rice, and millet, also flowers, herbs, even tree bark along with traditional ingredients; brewed to produce these so-called tonic wines.

Most well known of these wines is Xiao Qing (Yellow Wine) and like sake it’s best served warm.  To compare tastes to western-style (though this may be a stretch) it has a similar taste to an off-dry sherry and these wines enhance many Chinese dishes, especially during the Chinese New Year and other traditional holidays.

Mao Tai and Gao Liang and hot, spicy distillates derived from millet.  The alcohol content is around seventy percent.  Preceding a hearty meal is probably the best time to enjoy these wines.  A herbal wine with sweet overtones, Wu Gia Pi is believed to contain healing properties.