Shaoxing Rice Wine: A Buying Guide

Several people have inquired in the past month about Shaoxing rice wine, a commonly used Chinese ingredient that I frequently reach for when making Asian dumplings. The questions asked include: (1) Where do I buy the rice wine? (2) Where is it stocked in an Asian market? and (3) What is a substitute for it? This post will hopefully answer those questions and more!

What is Shaoxing rice wine? How is Chinese rice wine used?
Amber colored, aromatic, and pleasantly nutty tasting, Shaoxing rice wine is the standard spirit in Chinese cooking. Made of brown glutinous (sweet/sticky) rice, it is one of the earliest types of liquors that the Chinese made. Shaoxing rice wine adds an unmistakable flavor and fragrance to dishes, whether it is mixed into Asian dumpling fillings, added to marinades for roasted meats such as char siu pork, combined with seasonings for stir-fries, or simmered with soy sauce and sugar for red-cooked dishes. If you’ve ever used sake in Japanese cooking, Shaoxing rice wine is employed quite similarly in Chinese cuisine. Sip on some of the rice wine and you’ll warm up quickly as it contains about 17 to 18% alcohol.

Surprise – Shaoxing rice wine is made in Shaoxing, a city located in Zhejiang, a province on the eastern coast of China. Picture Shanghai and Zhejiang province is right below it.

Where and how do you buy Shaoxing rice wine?
The tall 750-milliliter bottles are sold at Chinese markets, typically near the frozen food section for reasons that I’m not clear on. I use Pagoda Brand, considered by cooks as the standard for decades. There are imposters so look for the golden pagoda logo, flanked by the words Pagoda and Brand:

Each bottle of Pagoda brand of Chinese rice wine costs about $4 and unless you use tons of it, it will last for a long time in the cupboard. The red label version of Pagoda brand is common and the blue and red label one is supposedly slightly better but I’ve not detected a radical difference aside from the fact that the blue label one is cute looking and has 17 instead of 18 percent alcohol. Shaoxing rice wine that comes in a charming ceramic jar is more expensive than the glass bottle kind. It is more delicate tasting, practically suitable for sipping. Whatever your price point, avoid Shaoxing “Cooking Wine” which is salted and tastes awful.

Do I really need Chinese rice wine for my recipes?
Yeah, you actually do as it gives the flavor an extra authentic boost. If you can't get the real Shaoxing rice wine, use a substitute. I did for years, until I figured out what I needed to look for at a Chinese market!

What is a good substitute for Chinese rice wine?
As indicated in my recipe ingredient listings, you can use a good dry sherry when Shaoxing rice wine is unavailable. (No cooking sherry as it’s often made from low-quality sherry and is salted!!!) If you’re unfamiliar with sherry, look for bottles that say “dry” or “pale dry.” A manzanilla or amontillado type of dry sherry has a well-balanced fragrance and nuttiness that matches that of Shaoxing rice wine; a fino sherry is a tad too dry. Try them chilled as an aperitif. Do not buy cream sherry as its sweet flavor is inappropriate for Chinese cooking. Some recipe books called for vodka or gin but I find that sherry is the best equivalent for Chinese cooking wine.

Related information:

• Building a basic Asian dumpling pantry (this is the short and fast version of the glossary entry in the book)
• Chairman Mao's Red Cooked Pork Belly (Mao Shi Hong Shao Rou, a classic example of how Shaoxing rice wine is used)

Comments

[Tuty]

Very useful information. Thank you, A.

[Carolyn Jung]

I sometimes substitute mirin and a little dry white wine. Is that bad? ;)

[Andrea Nguyen]

Carolyn -- I don't think that your substitute is bad. It's just that it's not quite the same earthy flavor. How about keeping some dry sherry around the house? ;-)

[Krista]

In Canada, wine can't be sold in grocery stores -- unless it is salted, which makes it undrinkable. I did find (and purchase) Shaoxing rice wine at a liquor store near Chinatown, for about $25. But I'm wondering if next time it would be OK to buy the salted stuff, for about $4 (even though you've just said I shouldn't!) and just add less salt to the recipe?

[Diane]

Awesome - I'm down to my last tablespoon. And it's a cheapie brand I picked up at May Wah - so I really was thinking just tonight that I needed help & advice for the new bottle!

[Andrea Nguyen]

Krista -- Salted rice wine has a funny flavor. If it costs $25 a bottle for the real deal, use sherry instead. I guarantee that it will be a fine substitute. You can get great sherry for less than $10.

Diane -- Glad to be of service just in the nick of time

[M.R. Traska]

Links aren't very helpful unless they lead to a source that will sell the wine to you. With that in mind, I searched using wine-searcher.com and found the wine at Brian's Wine & Liquor Emporium in Piscataway, NJ for $6.99 a bottle, plus tax and shipping.

However, the search function at the store's web site is in a dumb place (bottom center of the web page) and is stupid -- you have to input the name just so, or it won't come up. Use this exact phrase for your search term:

Pagoda Shao xing rice wine

Now you just have to hope that they're not out of it when you try to order it! But it's a beginning ...

ps -- love your blog; dumplings forever!!! One day, you should try real Lithuanian Christmas Eve hot beet borscht with boletus-mushroom-filled dumplings, minced fresh dill, and a dollop of sour cream. Mmmmmmmmmm -- excellent!

[Andrea Nguyen]

M.R. Traska -- Great tip on how to find and order the rice wine online! Thank you for going the extra mile and reporting your findings back to the rest of us. That price you got is rather good.

The borscht w/ boletus sounds divine. I bet it looks splendid for the holidays. I bet I can track down a recipe or two...

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Within the white rice varieties are different depending on their grain. On the one hand, we find short grain rice, ideal for the preparation of puddings and desserts like rice pudding, for example. In addition, medium-grain rice, which absorbs much more liquid without becoming soft and sticky as the old one and go very well for the preparation of risottos that require long cooking. And finally, long grain rice, cooked after loose fitting, light and fluffy. This last comes mainly from North America and India, where we can find two varieties with its own name: the Patna and the Bastami.

[Büyü]

Within the white rice varieties are different depending on their grain. On the one hand, we find short grain rice, ideal for the preparation of puddings and desserts like rice pudding, for example. In addition, medium-grain rice, which absorbs much more liquid without becoming soft and sticky as the old one and go very well for the preparation of risottos that require long cooking. And finally, long grain rice, cooked after loose fitting, light and fluffy. This last comes mainly from North America and India, where we can find two varieties with its own name: the Patna and the Bastami.

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Links aren't very helpful unless they lead to a source that will sell the wine to you. With that in mind, I searched using wine-searcher.com and found the wine at Brian's Wine & Liquor Emporium in Piscataway, NJ for $6.99 a bottle, plus tax and shipping.

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M.R. Traska -- Great tip on how to find and order the rice wine online! Thank you for going the extra mile and reporting your findings back to the rest of us. That price you got is rather good.

The borscht w/ boletus sounds divine. I bet it looks splendid for the holidays. I bet I can track down a recipe or two...

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milliliter bottles are sold at Chinese markets, typically near the frozen food section for reasons that I’m not clear on. I use Pagoda Brand, considered by cooks as the standard for decades. There are imposters so look for the

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[B Tam]

Wonderful post! Do you know if Shaoxing rice wine is gluten-free? Sherry is fortified with brandy, which can contain caramel coloring, which can contain gluten, so that makes sherry off-limits to our allergic family. I'm hoping we can cook with Shaoxing rice wine....

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