Stop at Cut Mountain to learn how to make Van Son Tuu earthenware wine

On the journey to discover the famous products of Tan Son mountainous district, we visited the Van Son Tuu earthenware wine production facility of Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu - Zone 1, Tan Phu commune.

Van Son Tuu underground sticky rice wine product.

Made from yellow sticky rice, buried in the garden at the foot of Cut Mountain, Van Son Tuu sticky rice wine with its characteristic flavor of the mountains and forests is gradually gaining a foothold in the market, contributing to preserving the traditional rice wine making craft.

Since ancient times, wine has been present very early in the cultural life of Vietnamese people and is favored by the majority of people. Therefore, from North to South, there are many famous wine-making villages, bearing the identity of each region. The use of wine by Vietnamese people does not only stop at daily communication and entertaining guests, but has been elevated to a ritual, with spiritual significance. This is clearly shown in the Vietnamese offering tray, besides incense, flowers, sweet rice cakes, sticky rice with pig's head or betel box, incense sticks, cups of water, there is an indispensable cup of white wine, showing the sincerity of the homeowner, the fullness of the offering tray.

Based on those factors, combined with her family's knowledge of wine making, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu decided to make Van Son Tuu sticky rice wine.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu introduces her family's wine cellar area.

Van Son Tuu sticky rice wine is brewed in the family's traditional furnace using the water bath method, then buried in the ground. The raw materials for making the wine are yellow sticky rice and traditional leaf yeast of ethnic minorities in Tan Son district. The rice chosen must be new, fragrant, and plump because the source of raw materials greatly affects the quality and flavor of the wine.

Wine yeast is made from familiar, readily available herbs and flowers such as ginger, licorice, cinnamon, angelica, chili root... The process is to cook rice, then incubate it with traditional yeast, and go through many distillations to create wine.

In particular, the wine before being brewed has been treated to remove all aldehyde components, making the wine taste better, have a rich flavor, and minimize negative effects on users.

The wine fermentation process takes place in earthenware jars buried deep underground, where the temperature and humidity are stable, allowing the wine to ferment naturally and retain its original flavor. The burial time is at least one year for the wine to reach maturity, smooth to drink but still retaining the aroma of golden sticky rice.

Depending on the customer's needs, Ms. Thu will distill the wine from 1 to 3 times to get different alcohol levels. The middle wine will be buried and sold to customers. The light top wine will be reserved for customers who want to lower the alcohol level. The first wine will have a higher alcohol level.

Ms. Thu shared: To have quality batches of wine like today, the family had to go through many times of research, learning and experimenting with different ways of making wine. In particular, to ensure the quality of the wine, the family invested in a machine to remove aldehyde and some toxins in the wine and a wine aging device, helping to increase the age of the wine. Therefore, the family's wine products after being made were well received by many customers. Besides buying to entertain friends, many people also buy to give as gifts throughout the province and outside.

It is known that although customers' demand for wine is relatively large, Ms. Thu only focuses on cooking for 6 months, 3 months in spring and 3 months in autumn because the weather is cool, humidity is high, the wine is delicious and smooth to drink.

Depending on customer demand, Van Son Tuu wine will be bottled in glass bottles or cans. The selling price ranges from 30 - 50k/liter depending on the alcohol content. On average, Ms. Thu sells 6 - 7,000 liters per year, bringing a stable income for her family.

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Viet - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tan Son district said: The Van Son Tuu earthenware wine product of Thu Anh wine production facility - Tan Phu commune is currently favored and ordered by many people. The product is gradually completing the procedures to request recognition as a 3-star OCOP product.

Vinh Ha

Source: https://baophutho.vn/dung-chan-nui-cut-hoc-cach-lam-ruou-chum-sanh-ha-tho-van-son-tuu-217312.htm