The pre-Qin book "Examination of Work" said: "There is a time in the sky, there is gas in the earth, there is beauty in the material, and there is a coincidence in the work. ”
(The picture shows the Guotai red tassel glutinous sorghum planting base)
From ancient times to the present, Chinese people have always adhered to the idea of the unity of nature and man in the creation of things. This concept of pursuing the harmonious coexistence of man and nature is particularly prominent in the brewing of soy sauce wine.
As a model of authentic Daqu soy sauce liquor in China, from the perspective of the production process of Guotai liquor, its brewing can be said to be in line with the laws of heaven and earth, containing all changes. With a one-year production cycle, the Dragon Boat Festival makes koji, the Chongyang sand goes down, and the wine is poured seven times, each step follows the seasonal changes of spring, summer, autumn and winter - until the new wine enters the pottery altar for long-term storage, waiting for the precipitation and sublimation of time.
The base wine produced in season has to go through a long storage period of three years in a pottery jar and a year of blending before it can be bottled and shipped out of the factory. This is the law of thunder.
It is also this kind of seasonal brewing method that has created the diverse flavor of Guotai liquor.
First, the order of the four times will increase the flavor of the country and Taiwan
As early as ancient times, the ancient Chinese began to observe celestial phenomena and phenology, discovered the law of time change, and applied it to agricultural production and creation of utensils.
In the process of continuous practice and exploration, the ancestors also created a way of recording the calendar, the 24 solar terms, which can summarize the accurate time of the alternation of the four seasons and record the laws of phenology in nature.
As a unique time cognitive system of Chinese, the 24 solar terms have a profound impact on people's way of thinking and code of conduct, condensing the philosophy of "harmony between nature and man" and "going with the flow". As a continuation of agricultural production, winemaking is also deeply influenced by the 24 solar terms.
Taking the production of Guotai liquor as an example, from Chongyang Xiasha (the first feeding) to August of the second year, it has gone through spring, summer, autumn and winter.
The lower sand stage is cold dew and frost;
The rough sand stage is the late stage of early winter, small cold and big cold;
The fermentation time of a round of wine is the winter solstice, small cold and big cold;
The fermentation time of the second round of wine is the beginning of spring, rain and sting;
The fermentation time of the three rounds of wine is the spring equinox, Qingming and Guyu;
The fermentation time of the four rounds of wine is Lixia and Xiaoman;
The fermentation time of the five rounds of wine is mango seed, summer solstice and small summer;
The fermentation time of the six rounds of wine is the late summer and the beginning of autumn.
The fermentation time of the seven rounds of wine is the summer heat and white dew.
The season will enhance the flavor of Guotai liquor by influencing all aspects of the brewing process, so that every drop of Guotai liquor has significant seasonal characteristics.
For example, in the first round of wine before and after the Great Cold, the wine will give people a significant sense of convergence in the cold winter wax moon; Three rounds of wine, when the wine is in full bloom, the floral and fruity aroma and honey aroma in the wine will be more prominent; After five rounds of wine, the roasted taste of the wine brought by the hot weather began to emerge.
Second, the day loves the country and Taiwan wine, and sends "bacteria" to increase the fragrance
In addition to fermentation starters such as Daqu, production raw materials, operating environment, air and fermentation vessels (such as cellars) are all important sources of brewing microorganisms.
For example, through the process of spreading and stacking fermentation, the fermentation process can fully absorb and screen the microorganisms in the air, so that the soy sauce wine has more flavor substances. Polymers such as "ethyl acetate, ethyl lactate, n-propanol, and isoamyl alcohol" in soy sauce wine are produced through fermentation.
This puts forward extremely high requirements for the regulation and control of brewing environmental conditions, which will inevitably lead to the brewing of soy sauce wine must be carried out according to festivals and local conditions. Guotai is produced in strict accordance with the season, which is the product of combining with the local geography and climate.
Moutai Town is located in a low-lying river valley, surrounded by three mountains and a basin structure of one water stream, which resembles a huge natural distillery, with stable air flow, which is conducive to the stability of the wine-making microbial ecosystem.
For example, during the period of mango planting, before and after the Dragon Boat Festival, the climate is hot and humid, and the Chishui River is approaching the rainy season at this time, and the ambient temperature is conducive to the growth and reproduction of wine-making microorganisms in high-temperature Daqu, so that they are enriched in large quantities in koji, accelerate the transformation of starch and protein in koji, and facilitate the occurrence of the Meirad reaction in koji, so as to endow koji with the flavor of koji and sauce.
For example, after the sand of Chongyang, the second feeding of rough sand is carried out in October, and the first and second rounds of wine extraction are carried out in the cold November and December, which is conducive to reducing the efficiency of microbial fermentation, reducing the amount of wine taken in these two rounds, and making the fermented grain be effectively maintained.
(The picture shows the intelligent brewing workshop of Guotai Manor)
When the spring flowers bloom and the weather becomes warmer, it is conducive to the formation of sauce aroma substances in the fermented grains, so as to create three, four, or five rounds of wine with better wine rate and wine quality, that is, Dahui wine.
Finally, when the temperature gradually rises in the six or seven rounds of liquor, it is conducive to the growth and reproduction of microorganisms in the fermented grain, and the residual starch is used as much as possible, so as to create six or seven rounds of liquor with prominent burnt and mushy taste.
According to different seasons, the process operation is "dynamically adjusted", which not only reflects the brewing philosophy of Guotai Liquor to respect the sky and punctuality, but also provides the most suitable growth environment for wine-making microorganisms. In the process of uninterrupted brewing, the Guotai plant has gradually formed a unique microbial system, and has continuously produced excellent flavor Guotai wine.
3. Know the bacteria, cherish the bacteria, love the bacteria, and be a good friend of the season
Subtle changes in temperature can affect microorganisms at different seasons and at different times.
For example, from the vernal equinox to Qingming, it is the time of the year when the temperature rises at the fastest rate. At this time, the earth and qi penetrate, the spring rains increase, the light hours become longer and longer, and the microorganisms begin to be active.
In a 2021 scientific paper published in Food Science, "Characteristics of Bacterial Flora Structure in Different Production Rounds of Maotai Sauce-flavored Liquor", the researchers found that the bacterial diversity and richness of the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds of brewing environment were significantly higher than those of other rounds, and the environmental and climatic conditions during these three rounds (May, June and July) were suitable for bacterial growth.
In addition, each round also has its own unique dominant bacterial genus, for example, the unique dominant bacterial genera in the brewing environment of one round has the most types. The researchers also pointed out that there were differences in the structure of bacterial flora among the samples of the brewing environment in each round of the brewing process of Maotai Maotai Liquor.
Therefore, in essence, the reason why Guotai liquor adheres to the season is only one point - to provide the best growth environment for microorganisms.
Mr. Yan Xijun, Chairman of Tasly Digital Intelligence Health Industry Group, Founder of Guotai, Lifetime Honorary Chairman of Guotai Liquor Group, and Chief Engineer of Innovation and Productivity, once said: "Our core job is to do a good job of 'nanny' for these invisible brewing masters. ”
Knowing bacteria, cherishing bacteria, and loving bacteria. For more than 20 years, Guotai has always been based on the concept of "adhering to the tradition and not leaving the past, and scientific innovation is not departing from the roots", systematically analyzing the traditional technology, studying the scientific principles behind the traditional process, opening the "black box" of soy sauce wine brewing, and advancing the understanding of winemaking to the level of molecular biology.
It can be seen that in the brewing process, such as moistening, crushing, mixing, turning, fermentation, storage and other processes, Guotai has strict standards and the best rhythm, and the concept of "Shuntian and timely" has been applied to all aspects of the entire production cycle of Guotai liquor.
Only in this way can we capture the subtle changes in temperature and humidity brought about by the coming and going of cold and summer, and the alternation of day and night, and make full use of the balance between climate change and raw material supply, so as to achieve a reasonable proportion of rounds and produce a base wine with distinct round characteristics.
As the second largest liquor brewing enterprise in Moutai Town, Guotai has complied with the time, precipitated the essence, and brewed all the charm of the four seasons and time into fine wine, which is a model of authentic soy sauce wine in China. On the basis of respecting tradition, Guotai continues to develop and innovate, further open a new chapter of intelligent brewing, and give back more excellent sauce flavor to consumers who love wine.