db HK hosts first ever Baijiu masterclass

Members of Hong Kong’s drinks trade and wine enthusiasts joined to explore the diverse world of the Chinese white spirit, Baijiu.

Taking place in the China Club, the proceedings started with a masterclass involving 12 members of Hong Kong’s key wine trade, most of whom by their own admission had never used Baijiu as an ingredient in their work.

Bai translated from Chinese means white or transparent, which coupled with jiu merely denotes “white alcohol” but as Ivy Ng, db Hong Kong’s publisher explained, Baijiu encompasses more than that.

The fermentation of grains into alcohol had origins in the Neolithic Period but reached a height during the Song Dynasty where there existed an important “Manual to Making Spirits” and the spirit became more popularized, no longer a beverage reserved for the Imperial Court.

The discovery of distillation technique further advanced the technology of Baijiu production. An archaeological discovery of an ancient still dating back to the 12^th century Song Dynasty bore evidence to this.

The event was the first of the drinks business HK’s Premium Spirits Series masterclass and was sponsored by Googut Wines and Spirits, a Beijing-based auction house and a specialist in aged Baijiu.

Ian Wo from Googut explained that there was no AOC classification system for Baijiu and that production started on river banks in several regions across China, including Sichuan, Guizhou, Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Shandong and Hubei – giving rise to many diverse styles, including “Ester Rich” (commonly known as “Sauce” or “Fermented” Style) as in the case of Kweichow Moutai and the lighter expression of Fenjiu.

For the trade, several expressed astonishment at the complex styles of Baijiu, with Devender Sehgal from Otto e Mezzo Bombana pointing out that there were new “Baijiu bars” springing up in New York but outside of China, it has a minimal presence in the rest of Asia.

“It’s very interesting when you learn of the history and how it has sought a place in Chinese culture,” he said. “I think it would be very diverse in a cocktail, and could become very popular here.”

Between each tasting, guests also had the chance to sample a plate of fermented and pickled foods, to off-set the umami notes of the Baijiu.

Yvonne Cheung, director of wine for Swire Hotel Group added, “This evening was a first for me, and good information to have.  I think it was a great idea to include the plate of fu-ru, beans, soy sauce and pickled cucumber, by the way!”

After the trade came the consumer and enthusiast tasting with 26 assembled wine collectors and self-confessed Baijiu “novices”.

Most admitted their previous forays into Baijiu were from business meetings in China where they were introduced to the spirit as a way of closing a contract or deal. Many had no idea about the different vintages or expressions.

“Here we have so many different styles – you can taste licorice, mint, umami and fruit,” said Jean-Baptiste who works for BNP Paribas.

“I thought it was pretty awful when I had it in China, but here with the [tastings of] pickled foods has really helped introduce it and made it a lot less intimidating.”

Another guest, Sarah Wong of the South China Morning Post also commented that the event had “touched the surface of a fascinating drinks category, and one that needs further exploration.”

Bavarian glassware company, Spiegelau (through its local distributor Inhesion Asia) provided the glasses for the evening, with an array of its bespoke Chinese Baijiu collection, and then ‘brandy’, ‘digestif’ and ‘distillate’ glasses for guests to cast their votes as to which one they preferred to taste Baijiu from.

The trade contingent liked the digestif while the consumers favoured the proper Chinese spirit glasses for their small measures and containment of the aromas.

The masterclass range tasted included 2014, 2007 and 1999 Moutai, as well as 2007 Fenjiu and 2015 Wuliangye, 2007 Luzhou Laojiao, 2004 Xifengjiu and 2001 Dongjiu.  The years represent original date of release, given that the total Moutai production take 5 years  including an extended ageing period. The 1999 Moutai, Ian revealed, recently fetched HK$19,000 at auction – therefore exposing the demand for aged Baijiu’s limited releases and the depleting supply of authentic aged Baijiu.

For dinner, guests sampled the 2000 Zhuyeqing, 2014 Shui Jing Fan Yuan, 2014 Shui Jing Fang Ming, 2014 Shui Jing Fang Qing (all produced in the original fermentation pits dated back to the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties) and a special 1981 blind tasting of Dongjiu. Two guests were the proud winners of the blind tasting competition and came away with two Porcelain Baijiu cups donated by Googut.

Ian closed the evening with: “It was a pleasure to introduce Baijiu to Hong Kong’s trade and consumers. It is a little-discovered spirit at the moment, but with the recent interest in the auction industry, I think it will be very soon before Baijiu is known to the world and we are very fortunate to be able to experience a wide variety of styles today.”

A full event report will be in the next issue of db HK.