Which Wines Were Selected at the 1952 Wine Tasting?
Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, there have been five national-level liquor rating activities, with the aim of accelerating technological progress and improving the quality of liquor.
The first National Liquor Appraisal Conference was held in Beijing in 1952. At that time, the liquor industry was in a stage of rectification and recovery. The state, except for receiving a few capitalist enterprises, most liquor production was privately operated. The production of liquor was then managed by the State Monopoly Administration. Under such circumstances, the first appraisal conference could not conduct systematic selection and recommendation of samples. This appraisal was based on market sales reputation combined with chemical analysis results, and appraisal and recommendation were made.
In 1952, the State Monopoly Enterprise Company held the Second Meeting of the Monopoly Work, before which 103 kinds of liquor samples, including white liquor, yellow liquor, fruit wine and wine, were collected from across the country. The Beijing Experimental Plant (now Beijing Brewing Corporation) Research Institute conducted chemical analysis and recommended eight liquors to the meeting. The meeting determined four entry criteria:
1, Good quality and meet the standards and hygiene indicators of high-grade liquors;
2, To have gained good reviews domestically and be welcomed by most people nationwide;
3, Historically rich, and has a sales market nationwide;
4, Manufacturing methods are special, and has local characteristics, it cannot be imitated.
Based on the analysis results and recommendations, eight liquors were named as China’s Eight Famous Liquors.
Although the preparation work and conditions of the first National Liquor Appraisal Conference were poor, the eight famous liquors selected played an important role in promoting production and improving product quality, and laid a good foundation for future appraisals. They established a basic framework and opened a new chapter in the history of liquor appraisal in China, writing a very precious page in the history of China’s liquor appraisal. The chief appraisers of the first appraisal conference: Zhu Mei, Xin Haiting.
Selection results
The first National Liquor Appraisal Conference appraised eight famous liquors in total:
Four kinds of white liquor:
Maotai, Guizhou Maotai Liquor Factory;
Fenjiu, Shanxi Fenyang Xinghua Village Liquor Factory;
Luzhou Daqu, Sichuan Luzhou Qu Jiuju Factory;
Xifeng, Shaanxi Xifeng Liquor Factory.
Zhangyu Gold Award Bai Lan Di, Zhangyu Grape Wine Company, Yantai, Shandong Province;
Red Rose Wine, Zhangyu Grape Wine Company, Yantai, Shandong Province;
Weimei Si, Zhangyu Grape Wine Company, Yantai, Shandong Province.
