Laojiu is more than wine — it is the calendar of Matsu people. Add ginger slices and drink it warm to ward off the winter cold; give it to women after childbirth as a restorative braise; serve it at banquets to create warmth; use it as the base flavor in hongzao dishes — all of it starts from a crock of glutinous rice fermented with red yeast mold. The Eastern Fujian saying goes "every household must keep warming wine," and this phrase has circulated unchanged across the islands of Matsu for a hundred years.
What Is Laojiu
Laojiu is brewed from locally grown long glutinous rice inoculated with red yeast mold (Monascus), with an alcohol content of approximately 8–12%. Its color ranges from golden yellow to amber and the flavor is sweet with a slight sourness. The production process is directly descended from Fuzhou's red yeast yellow rice wine tradition. The Matsu Distillery inherited the flourishing brewing tradition of the Japanese colonial period and is now a Lienchiang County government enterprise with a stable annual output. Finished product is categorized as new wine or aged wine by length of maturation; the longer it ages, the deeper the color and the more concentrated the fragrance.
Eastern Fujian (the counties historically under Fuzhou Prefecture) has long had a tradition of brewing wine with red yeast mold. After immigrants crossed to Matsu, the brewing customs were preserved intact because the island's mountain spring water is exceptionally pure and the climate resembles Fuzhou's. In the Eastern Fujian food system, laojiu plays a dual role of "food-supplement" and "condiment": stirred with ginger into a soup it is a folk remedy for colds; used as a base wine in hongzao dishes it imparts a distinctive red-yeast fragrance to meat. The Lienchiang County Tourism Bureau lists laojiu as the foremost representative of Matsu's culinary culture.
How to Drink It Like a Local
Local Know-How
Verified Third-Party Endorsements
- The Matsu Distillery is a Lienchiang County government enterprise with a guided factory tour route where visitors can purchase wine on-site and learn about the red yeast brewing process.
- The official website of the Lienchiang County Tourism Bureau lists laojiu among "Matsu's Ten Representative Foods," and a Matsu culinary culture feature in CommonWealth Magazine provides detailed coverage.
- Laojiu is the source ingredient for Matsu's hongzao dishes — the red yeast wine lees left after brewing become "hongzao." The two are two uses of a single process; understanding laojiu is the key to understanding the entire Eastern Fujian food system.
Visiting Tips
- The Matsu Distillery is located in Nangan. To purchase aged laojiu on Dongyin, you must go to the Dongyin Township Farmers' and Fishermen's Association or a local general store; the flavor of the two locations' versions differs noticeably.
- Laojiu is sweet and goes down smoothly, but its alcohol content still reaches 8–12%. Drinking it warm on an empty stomach can cause dizziness; pair it with food.
Data sources: Lienchiang County Tourism Bureau introduction to "Matsu Laojiu," Matsu Distillery official website, CommonWealth Magazine Matsu culinary culture report. Photos will be replaced after Dio's on-site shoot.