Four years for a drop of Huong Tich plum wine
Talking to Mr. Trinh Tien Dung, a famous plum wine maker in Duc Khe village (Huong Son commune, My Duc district), a reporter from Hanoi Moi Newspaper learned that this profession is also very elaborate. Mr. Dung shared that making plum wine is not like any other craft because it requires "playing with time". "A batch of good plum wine cannot be made in a hurry. From picking the fruit to pouring it into bottles for sale, it takes at least 4 years", Mr. Dung said.
The special feature of Huong Tich plum wine is that the ingredients are carefully selected from this land. The plums must be grown in the Huong Son valleys with thick, fragrant, and mildly sour flesh. Selecting each ripe yellow fruit, without any traces of worms or nests, Mr. Dung washes it with clean water, then with warm boiled water to remove the larvae. To drain the fruit, Mr. Dung marinates the plums with sugar at a ratio of 5-7 ounces of sugar per kilogram of fruit.
“The maker must taste each batch of apricots and each jar of wine to adjust the sourness and sweetness to the right level. If the fruit is unripe, the wine will be pungent and bitter. If the fruit is too sour, it will be difficult to drink. Only apricots that have been “sleeping” in sugar for two years will produce delicious essence,” Mr. Dung informed.
The wine used for soaking is made by Mr. Dung from yellow sticky rice. "I do not use probiotics but use Chinese herbal yeast, which is both fragrant and enhances the flavor of the apricots, good for health," he emphasized. On average, each year, Mr. Dung's family uses 5-6 tons of sticky rice to make wine and soak apricots. The distilled wine used to soak apricots must have an alcohol concentration of 40 degrees or higher. After 4 years of soaking in earthenware jars and apricots, the wine will naturally lower its alcohol concentration to about 30 degrees. If aged for 10 years or more, Huong Tich apricot wine can reach its peak - the drinker will only feel excited as if they had never drunk alcohol.
The secret to Mr. Dung’s plum wine being loved by customers is its refreshing, deep aroma, light sweet aftertaste, and no headache or thirst after drinking. “It’s all thanks to the plum ingredients, standard sticky rice wine, and long soaking time,” Mr. Dung shared.
Continue to improve the product
Mr. Dung's family's Huong Tich plum wine is packaged in earthenware jars, which are not only convenient for giving as gifts, but also used to decorate ancestral altars and Vietnamese meals. Each year, Mr. Dung's family supplies the market with about 3,000-4,000 liters of Huong Tich plum wine. At the end of the year and during festivals, the product is often sold out.
Vice Chairman of My Duc District People's Committee Le Van Trang commented: "Huong Tich plum wine of Mr. Trinh Tien Dung's family is one of the typical products of the locality, harmoniously combining traditional elements and safe production standards. The product's consecutive recognition as a 3-star OCOP is a testament to its quality and development potential. We are supporting Mr. Dung to complete the documents and designs to aim for a 4-star classification in the near future...".
Sharing his feelings when enjoying Huong Tich plum wine, Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh (a resident of Hong Son commune, My Duc district) said: “I have used many types of plum wine, but Mr. Dung's family's has a different taste - deep aroma, sweet and mild, and does not give you a headache when drinking. Every holiday or when entertaining guests, my family prioritizes using this type of wine...”.
In 2023, the product “Huong Tich Plum Wine” of Mr. Trinh Tien Dung’s family was granted the 3-star OCOP Certificate for the second time by the People’s Committee of My Duc district. This is a testament to the efforts to preserve the traditional craft and the commitment to produce according to safety and quality standards of Mr. Trinh Tien Dung’s family.
“OCOP is not just a certificate, but a motivation for me to do things more accurately and systematically. I have to number each jar, monitor the aging time, and record details. Wine that is not at least 4 years old is not for sale...”, Mr. Dung said.
Currently, apricot trees in Huong Son commune are no longer planted as much as before. The area is only about 15-20 hectares, with a crop yield of less than 10 tons. This makes the apricot wine-soaking profession even more valuable, requiring persistent investment.
Amidst the industrial pace of life, Huong Tich plum wine is like a “time specialty” – brewed in a quiet space, by the hands of an old craftsman. Mr. Trinh Tien Dung not only preserves a type of wine, but also a way of life, a regional cultural heritage in the heart of Hanoi .
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/ruou-mo-huong-tich-tinh-tuy-vung-dat-phat-705440.html
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