Taiwan Food Atlas

Shaoxing Wine

Brewed with Puli's exceptional water · The home of Taiwan Shaoxing
📍 Nantou · Puli Township · Puli Winery⭐ Specialty · Beverage (Alcoholic)🍶 Aged amber, mellow and smooth

In the Puli basin, the mountains are good and the water is good — even the air carries a faint sweetness. Step inside the winery and rows of aged ceramic jars sit quietly in the stillness, the air laced with the mellow fragrance of glutinous rice and qu fermentation. Pour a warm cup of Shaoxing: amber-coloured, smooth and fragrant on entry. This is Puli, known as "the hometown of Shaoxing wine," brewing its distinctly Taiwanese character from one exceptional source of water.

What is Shaoxing Wine?

Shaoxing wine is a huangjiu — a yellow rice wine — fermented from glutinous rice and wheat qu. The liquor is amber, warm-bodied, and richly aromatic with a lingering sweetness. In Taiwan, Puli has long been called "the hometown of Shaoxing wine," earning that reputation through the outstanding water quality of the Puli basin and becoming the most representative production site for Taiwan-style Shaoxing wine.

The Puli Winery was established in 1917 and successfully produced Shaoxing wine in 1952, earning the brand its name. Today the winery is more than a producer — it has extended the Shaoxing character into everyday flavours through a line of "Xing"-branded foods such as Shaoxing sausages and Shaoxing wine-marinated eggs, making it the most iconic state-run tourist winery landmark in the area.

How to drink it the authentic way

🍶
Warm it before you drinkShaoxing wine is best enjoyed warm. A gentle heat allows the mellow aroma of glutinous rice and qu to open up fully, making each sip rounder, smoother, and pleasantly warming.
👃
Smell the aged fragrance firstAfter pouring, take a moment to inhale the fermented glutinous-rice aroma before sipping slowly in small sips. Follow the journey from fragrance to sweetness and appreciate the warm, mellow body.
🍢
Pair with "Xing"-branded foodsLocally, the wine finds its way into food — Shaoxing sausages and Shaoxing wine-marinated eggs both carry the wine's character. Pairing wine with food and food with wine is the Puli way of eating.
🥢
Use it in cookingShaoxing is also a great cooking ingredient. Add it to drunken chicken or braised dishes for fragrance and to mellow out any gaminess — on the local table it's as much for the kitchen as for the cup.

Local knowledge

Verified facts (sponsored content excluded)

  • The Puli Winery's establishment in 1917 and its successful Shaoxing wine production in 1952 are recorded facts in Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation's official history.
  • Puli's title of "hometown of Shaoxing wine" and its associated "Xing"-branded products — including Shaoxing sausages and Shaoxing wine-marinated eggs — are widely recognized local specialties.
  • The Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation's Puli Tourist Winery is a state-run tourist landmark. This guide is organized by product; the anchor point is for location reference and future on-site photography only.

Visitor tips

  • The winery has a tourist area and a shop. For purchasing Shaoxing wine, products in official TTL packaging offer greater assurance of authenticity.
  • You must be at least 18 years old to consume alcohol. Never drink and drive. Taste in moderation.
  • Coordinates are approximate field-survey values. The winery's location and opening hours should be confirmed on-site or via official announcements.

Information compiled from the Nantou County Government tourism resources and local township farmers' associations. Sponsored content has been excluded. Photos will be replaced after on-site photography.

🗺️ View on the map ← All Nantou dishes