Pouring tradition into a new vintage
Zhou's passion for wine began during his studies in Thailand, where he visited various wineries. Once, in a restaurant, he came across yellow wine from his hometown, only to realize it was being used as cooking wine. His uncle, Zhou Guohong, shared his regret. The yellow wine available in the market was low quality and rarely made it to high-end banquets.
"High-quality Shaoxing yellow wine is in no way inferior to any famous wine out there," said Zhou.
The uncle-nephew duo decided to venture into the yellow wine industry, aiming to revive the once-renowned Shaoxing yellow wine. They thought of Zhou Qing, a legend who had made Shaoxing yellow wine famous worldwide.
In 1915, Zhou Qing from Shaoxing took his homemade yellow wine across the ocean to the United States, winning a gold medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. As descendants of Zhou Qing, Zhou Guohong and Zhou Huajian are determined to fulfill their ancestor's wish and bring Shaoxing yellow wine back to the world stage.
At that time, the Zhou Qing wine brand was still owned by a Hong Kong-based company. In 2019, Zhou Guohong spent a considerable sum to buy back the Zhou Qing wine trademark, re-establishing the brand and its banner. Zhou Huajian returned to his hometown to join in the revival of yellow wine.
"Yellow wine contains hundreds of nutritional components and flavor substances, but I believe it lacks the 'youthful ingredients' that can make it popular," Zhou Huajian stated, adding his belief that the revival of yellow wine requires both preservation and innovation, with innovation focusing on the youth.
To the Zhou duo, capturing the youth market means securing the future of yellow wine. To make wine that young people love, Zhou Huajian formed a management, R&D, and marketing team of over 20 people, with more than 95 percent born after 1995.