On June 1 this year, the two national liquor standards gb/t15109-2021 terminology of Baijiu industry and gb/t17204-2021 terminology and classification of beverage liquor, which will be formally implemented, were issued by the State Administration of market supervision and China National Standardization Administration in May 2021. These two standards have re standardized many issues of concern to the Baijiu industry. One of the biggest changes is that many wines can not be called "Baijiu"**
What has the new national standard changed? What's the impact on our buying wine? Next, we will sort out and analyze the issues we are more concerned about.
This kind of wine can't be called Baijiu in the future
Baijiu brewing is mainly a process of converting starch in raw materials into sugar, and then sugar into alcohol. All raw materials containing starch and fermentable sugar can be used for liquor making.
One of the commonly used raw materials is grain, such as rice, wheat, corn, sorghum, barley, highland barley, etc. the wine styles are different. Another is to make wine with cassava, molasses, sugar beet, etc., of which cassava and molasses are common raw materials for the production of edible alcohol.
However, there are all kinds of high-end wine on the market, from 2000 or 3000 yuan to a few yuan bottle of low-end wine. It is also 500ml wine. Why is the price difference so large?
In fact, it is mainly related to raw materials Grain and grain raw materials are usually necessary for the production of pure grain solid-state fermentation high-quality Baijiu. The common medium and high-end Luzhou flavor, Maotai flavor and Qingxiang Baijiu in the market are basically made of grain and grain. Many cheap low-end wines are not produced with grain as the main raw material. Most of them are produced by blending edible alcohol with food additives.
Many people worry that they don't drink wine made of grain The introduction of the new national standard has made relevant provisions in this regard
The new national standard stipulates that "Baijiu is a distilled liquor made by cooking, saccharifying, fermenting, distilling, aging and blending with grain as the main raw material, Daqu, Xiaoqu, bran koji, enzyme preparation and yeast as saccharifying and fermenting agents". The core requirement in this definition is that Baijiu must take "grain" as the main raw material.
That is to say, except that rice, wheat, corn, sorghum, barley, highland barley and other cereals are used as raw materials in the future, edible alcohol produced from potato, molasses and other cereals cannot be classified as "Baijiu" produced from grain and grain**
In this way, this kind of low-end liquor in the market can no longer be labeled as Baijiu, and consumers can also eliminate the false and preserve the true of Baijiu consumption.
What is "flavoring Baijiu"
1. Flavoring Baijiu is not Baijiu
The definition of flavoring Baijiu is a kind of blended liquor with Baijiu style, which is based on solid-state Baijiu, liquid-state Baijiu, solid-liquid Baijiu or edible alcohol and mixed with food additives.
This kind of liquor added with food additives used to be labeled with Baijiu under the banner of Baijiu Now the new national standard clearly stipulates that these wines will be called "flavored Baijiu" in the future The biggest advantage is that manufacturers can no longer shoddy, and consumers can judge their quality and price range only from the label.
Of course, flavored Baijiu is also allowed by the state to be produced, and it also meets the relevant food requirements , but it will have a great restrictive and normative effect on manufacturers and merchants.
2. The solid-liquid and liquid bases of flavoring Baijiu
The solid-liquid method and the liquid-state method are often used in the production of Baijiu. In the past, the liquid-state method can use edible alcohol produced by potato, molasses and other crops. These alcohol can become Baijiu by adding essence and spices. Before the solid-liquid method, more than 30% solid Baijiu can be mixed with liquid method.
Now that the new national standard is issued, the liquid Baijiu and solid-liquid Baijiu will clearly prohibit the use of non grain edible alcohol and food additives** Only the base liquor obtained by liquid fermentation process with grain as raw material (such as corn) can be used. Grain can be added to brew edible alcohol, and food additives cannot be added.
*In the past, the liquor using food additives or the liquor mainly using cassava and molasses alcohol in the market will not be allowed to be labeled as solid-liquid or liquid Baijiu *, which further standardizes the products of many manufacturers who used to cheat consumers.
3. Flavoring and blending
When consumers listen to Baijiu flavoring, they think it is a liquor blended with flavor. In fact, blending is an essential normal process in Baijiu production**
The purpose of the new national standard is to avoid misleading consumers by bad manufacturers and merchants. Many definitions and terms have been standardized and revised to clarify the scope of Baijiu. At the same time, in order to eliminate people's misunderstanding of the word blending, it has been revised to "blending".
Because blending is an essential process in the production of Baijiu. It mainly mixes wines with different taste quality and adds flavoring wine to make the wine body taste balance meet the established taste requirements. It's not that all blending is synonymous with inferior quality. It's just a craft term.
How to choose and buy Baijiu
▶ Pay attention to identification
After the new national standard comes out, all those with the Baijiu logo must use grain as the main raw material and are not allowed to use food additives . Such Baijiu is often high-quality Baijiu. Try to choose the Baijiu with the logo after the new national standard takes effect on June 1, 2022.
*In the future, the label of the previously produced low price edible alcohol based liquor will be changed into flavored Baijiu *, and consumers should pay attention to distinguishing. According to the new national standard "terms and classification of beverage wine", the dew wine in the prepared wine is independent and becomes a separate category. If you want to choose health wine, you should also pay attention to changing the logo into dew wine in the future.
▶ Pay attention to packing
*The outer packaging of high-quality Baijiu is often well printed on paper with bright color , the product identification, manufacturer, raw materials, degree and other information are complete and clear, and often has two-dimensional code or laser anti-counterfeiting *. Do not buy Baijiu with rough packaging, unclear printing and poor paper.
▶ Pay attention to wine color
The color of high-quality Baijiu should be colorless or yellowish transparent, and no sediment or suspended matter is allowed Of course, there is an exception. The national standard also stipulates that when the temperature of Luzhou flavor Baijiu is lower than 10 ℃, white flocculent precipitates or light loss are allowed, and it should gradually return to normal when the temperature is higher than 10 ℃. If the wine color is turbid and suspended solids do not appear under low temperature, then this kind of wine can basically be judged as inferior wine.
Expert: Zou jiangpeng, doctor of engineering, Sichuan University, doctor of science, Nantes University, France, and postdoctoral fellow of Jiangnan University