flipGrape Wine from the Oases
Grape Wine from the Oases
Why this dish? Grape wine, imported from the western oases (Gaochang) or pressed in the Sogdian manner, was the fashionable luxury in Tang China — and An Lushan, Sogdian and favorite of the Emperor, was its living embodiment. The grape wine cup flowed freely in the feasts of the court that adored him.
A dark, fragrant grape wine served in precious cups at festivities — symbol of the Tang taste for exotic western lands. (Modern non-alcoholic recipe offered for family audiences.)
Pour, pour again! The poet said it: fine grape wine in the cup that glows in the night. This liquor, my people have pressed it forever in the oases where the sun ripens the cluster, and here it is even on the table of the Emperor of the Middle Kingdom. When Yang Guifei laughed and the Hu music filled the palace, my cup never touched the bottom — for a man of the West, you see, knows that a feast without grape wine is but a meal that bores itself.
- •Trodden ripe grapes — full baskets (fermented base)
- •Time and warmth — a few days (fermentation)
Grape Wine from the Oases
A dark, fragrant grape wine served in precious cups at festivities — symbol of the Tang taste for exotic western lands. (Modern non-alcoholic recipe offered for family audiences.)
Why this dish? Grape wine, imported from the western oases (Gaochang) or pressed in the Sogdian manner, was the fashionable luxury in Tang China — and An Lushan, Sogdian and favorite of the Emperor, was its living embodiment. The grape wine cup flowed freely in the feasts of the court that adored him.
Pour, pour again! The poet said it: fine grape wine in the cup that glows in the night. This liquor, my people have pressed it forever in the oases where the sun ripens the cluster, and here it is even on the table of the Emperor of the Middle Kingdom. When Yang Guifei laughed and the Hu music filled the palace, my cup never touched the bottom — for a man of the West, you see, knows that a feast without grape wine is but a meal that bores itself.
Ingredients (period version)
- Trodden ripe grapes — full baskets (fermented base)
- Time and warmth — a few days (fermentation)
Ingredients
- Pure black grape juice — 1 liter (base)
- Fresh black grapes — 200 g (fruity infusion)
- Honey — 1 tbsp (roundness)
- Grape vinegar or lemon juice — 1 tsp (tangy touch)
- Cold water — to taste (dilution)
Method
- Lightly crush fresh grapes and infuse in grape juice overnight in the fridge.
- Strain to remove skins and seeds.
- Dissolve honey in a little warmed juice, then stir into the rest with the acid touch (grape vinegar or lemon).
- Dilute with a little cold water to taste, chill well.
- Serve in beautiful cups, ideally with some ice or very cold, to evoke the banquet cup.
How it was made : Grape wine was associated with western lands and highly prized under the Tang; the conquest of Gaochang supposedly introduced a grape variety and winemaking technique to the court. The famous verse of Wang Han, "fine grape wine, cup that glows in the night," attests to its prestige. The version offered here is non-alcoholic, for family audiences.
The contemporary twist : Serve it as a sparkling "shrub": a splash of sparkling water over the grape-and-honey syrup, and An Lushan's cup becomes a Silk Road mocktail.
Sources : Edward H. Schafer, The Golden Peaches of Samarkand: A Study of T'ang Exotics, University of California Press, 1963
An Lushan · Charactorium
