In the liquor market, we often hear discussions about the degree of liquor and the ingredients used to make it. Among them, a widely circulated saying is that wine above 50 degrees is pure grain wine. So, is this statement accurate?
To answer this question, we first need to understand the relationship between the degree of liquor and the brewing ingredients. The degree of liquor refers to the volume percentage of ethanol in liquor, which is converted from the sugars in the raw materials of liquor after fermentation. In the production process of traditional solid-state fermented baijiu, the starch and sugar substances in the raw materials are converted into ethanol and other by-products under the action of yeast, thus forming the unique flavor and taste of baijiu.
However, in actual production, in order to meet the needs and taste preferences of different consumers, some distilleries will adopt a blending process, that is, a part of the pure grain wine made by the traditional solid-state fermentation process is blended with a part of the wine blended with edible alcohol, flavors and other additives. This blending process can produce different degrees of liquor to meet the diverse needs of the market.
So, why is there a saying that wine above 50 degrees is pure grain wine? This is mainly because in the traditional solid-state fermentation process, due to the low degree of ethanol produced by the fermentation process, generally around 40 degrees, the ethanol needs to be distilled and purified to increase its degree. Normally, it is difficult for the liquor produced by the solid-state fermentation process to exceed 60 degrees. Therefore, some people believe that wine over 50 degrees must be produced through a pure grain solid-state fermentation process.
However, in reality this statement is not accurate. First of all, with the continuous progress of technology and the improvement of production technology, modern winemaking technology has been able to produce pure grain wine with a degree of up to 60 degrees or even higher. Secondly, some wines blended with edible alcohol, flavors and other additives can also be adjusted to achieve a higher degree by adjusting the recipe and process parameters. In addition, there are also some wines below 50 degrees on the market that are produced using the pure grain solid-state fermentation process.
Therefore, we cannot simply classify all wines above 50 degrees as pure grain wines. To judge whether a wine is pure grain wine, it is necessary to make a comprehensive judgment based on its brewing process, raw materials and product standards. At the same time, consumers also need to pay attention to check the product label and certification mark when buying liquor, and understand the production process and raw materials of the product.
To sum up, wine above 50 proof is not necessarily pure grain wine. The relationship between the degree of liquor and the raw materials used for brewing is not absolute. When purchasing liquor, consumers need to make a comprehensive judgment based on product labels and certification marks and other information to choose high-quality liquor that meets their tastes and needs.