KIM LONG VILLAGE WINE – A BIT OF “THỦY THƯỢNG” KEEPING THE ESSENCE OF QUẢNG TRỊ

(English below)

The craft of brewing wine in Kim Long village – Hải Lăng, Quảng Trị has gone through many generations but still retains the traditional, delicate, and meticulous method. The people of Kim Long remain faithful to the ancient “thủy thượng” method: the rice wine is carefully fermented and then stored in a copper pot, with fire underneath causing the wine vapor to rise, meeting cold water in the wooden trough above and condensing into clear, fragrant drops of wine.

To produce one liter of Kim Long wine, the craftsman must soak, ferment, and brew continuously for 5 days and nights. From 3kg of fresh rice, one liter of standard wine is produced, clear as morning dew but hiding the rich aroma of the earth and sky of Quảng Trị.

This purity is not just a rumor. In the Đại Nam nhất thống chí compiled during the reign of King Tự Đức, volume eight – section on local products clearly states: “Kim Long wine in Hải Lăng, Quảng Trị is the best.”

Today, Kim Long wine is still brewed by hardworking hands, still red-hot day and night, still maintaining its full-bodied, rustic yet delicate flavor, which creates the identity of a region rich in tradition.

Photo: Collected