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Yellow rice wine jars are placed at a workshop in Nancun village, Yuecheng district, Shaoxing. [Photo/VCG]

Winemakers have been busy with the spring pressing and sealing of winter-brewed yellow rice wine in Nancun village, Yuecheng district, Shaoxing.

As spring arrives, winemakers enter a new wave of activity. In the village, workers move in and out, pressing and sealing jars of yellow rice wine.

Among the craftsmen is 72-year-old Sheng Guosong, a seasoned yellow rice wine master. Using a traditional wooden press, he extracts the clear liquid from the fermented mash, separating it from the lees.

The wine of Nancun has gained increasing recognition in recent years. The village boasts nearly two thousand years of brewing history.

As far back as the Ming and Qing dynasties (1644-1911), the area was known for its many wine workshops and widespread winemaking tradition—nearly every household brewed and drank wine.

For most Chinese people, Shaoxing in Zhejiang province is synonymous with yellow rice wine, which locals have been brewing since the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC).

Yellow rice wine is a pillar industry in the city. It is exported to more than 40 countries and regions. The brewing technique was listed as one of the national intangible cultural heritages in 2006.