"Grain is the meat of wine", only good grain can make good wine, among which sorghum is the main brewing raw material of liquor. Not all sorghum can be used to make wine, it can make good wine; Different varieties of sorghum contain different nutrients such as starch content, protein, tannin, gelatinization and fermentation characteristics.
The difference between waxy sorghum and japonica sorghum;
First, the difference of starch content.
Starch is an important energy source for the growth and reproduction of brewing microorganisms, and it is also the main component of alcohol production. Theoretically, the content of starch determines the yield of alcohol. Starch in sorghum is mainly divided into amylopectin and amylose. Among them, the higher the amylopectin content in sorghum, the easier it is to gelatinize its starch, which is naturally more conducive to the growth, reproduction and metabolism of brewing microorganisms, and at the same time, it will produce more aroma and taste substances, making the flavor of liquor more full.
The sorghum for brewing high-quality Maotai-flavor liquor is actually waxy sorghum. Compared with foreign sorghum, "waxy sorghum" produced in Chishui Valley and its surrounding areas has the characteristics of small particles, thick skin, oblate, solid and dry, and reasonable starch and tannin content, especially the amylopectin content beneficial to wine making is about 1/3 higher than that of foreign sorghum.
The content of japonica sorghum is relatively low, so the aroma of maotai-flavor wine brewed is relatively insufficient, and the flavor is not as full as that of Nanpai maotai-flavor wine. More importantly, the brewing process of Maotai-flavor liquor 12987 can only use red tassel glutinous sorghum, because this sorghum has a thick shell and high amylopectin content, so it can withstand nine steaming, eight roasting and seven extracting liquors to brew mellow Maotai-flavor liquor.
Second, the content difference of protein.
The aroma substances in liquor mainly come from protein, but these aroma and taste components are not actually synthesized in one step, but need to be synthesized by precursor substances, and the protein in grain is the production of amino acids. In the fermentation process, protein will be converted into amino acids by protease, and amino acids can not only promote the growth of yeast, but also generate higher alcohols under the action of yeast, adding flavor to liquor.
In addition, amino compounds can also undergo Maillard reaction with reducing sugar compounds to further generate aromatic substances such as furfural, ketoaldehyde, dicarbonyl compounds and pyran compounds. So when drinking Maotai-flavor wine, we can smell the obvious aroma, and the source of the aroma is also protein. However, this does not mean that the more protein, the better, because too much protein is easy to produce bacteria, which hinders the saccharification and fermentation process of sorghum, resulting in bad taste, impure liquor and a lot of bad smell.
Third, the difference in fat content.
Sorghum contains fat, fatty acids and low molecular weight organic acids. Under the action of microorganisms, these substances can generate a variety of organic acids and higher fatty acids to classify and enrich the flavor of wine. This is also the reason why Maotai-flavor liquor can undergo esterification during storage after brewing, which makes the liquor more fragrant and delicious.
But like protein, the higher the fat content, the better. Excessive fat is prone to oxidation reaction when it is fermented to produce fatty acids, resulting in low molecular aldehydes or ketones, which will lead to rancidity of fermented grains, bring unpleasant odor to base wine and affect the quality of wine.
Professionals say that within a certain range, low fat content is more conducive to the formation of wine flavor.
Fourth, the tannin content is different.
Sorghum hull is rich in tannin, and the tannin content is above 2%. Taking japonica sorghum and waxy sorghum as raw materials, three production cycles of maotai-flavor liquor were determined. The conclusions are as follows: The starch content of waxy sorghum is 0.5% higher than that of japonica sorghum; The contents of trace elements ethyl butyrate, ethyl acetate and n-propanol in waxy sorghum are low at 1 time; The liquor yield of waxy sorghum was 65,438 0% higher than that of japonica sorghum. The annual liquor yield of waxy sorghum is 0.8% higher than that of japonica sorghum. The liquor yield of high-quality waxy sorghum is 60% higher than that of japonica sorghum.
Appropriate amount of tannin can enrich the taste of wine and enhance the aroma of wine. Tannin tastes bitter and can be transformed into heterocyclic aromatic substances such as syringic acid and syringaldehyde under the action of microorganisms, which makes the wine more rich. In addition, a proper amount of tannin can always harm the growth of microorganisms, improve the wine yield and reduce the bad smell of wine.
Don't have too much tannin, too much tannin will make the wine look too bitter, and it will also hinder the growth of yeast and affect the yield of wine. No matter whether it is southern red sorghum or northern sorghum, the tannin content is not too high. The content of sorghum in the north is about 0.5%, and the red sorghum in the south is slightly higher, above 1%. This is also an important factor why the taste of Nanpai Maotai-flavor liquor is relatively rich, while that of Beipai Maotai-flavor liquor is relatively light.
To sum up, waxy sorghum is more suitable for brewing wine than japonica sorghum, and the wine brewed by red tassel waxy sorghum has mellow taste and excellent wine quality.
Laotie, who is interested in the wine brewed by red tassel glutinous sorghum, can try this cost-effective Maotai-flavor wine introduced by Meiyijia-Love Wine ~
I hope I can help you!