Puli Brewery of Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation
Just after Retrocession of Taiwan, Puli Brewery only produced wine from sticky rice, rice, taibai wine, but not in great quantities, which was only provided for use in the Puli area. In 1949, Zhejiang Shaohsing wine vendor’s son, Chou Jingwen came to Puli to escape war, and brought in brewing techniques. Taking water from the famous Puli spring “Ailan sweet spring,” Puli Brewery began to research and develop the work of Shaohsing wine production. In 1952, Chou Jingshan, Deng Manshui, and Chou Bingwen used Ailan spring water to manufacture Shaohsing wine] and Chang Jinyu originally brewed even higher quality and purer Shaohsing wine in Dachen Island, cooperating with old brewing families.
In 1955, Dachen Island fell, and its people retreated to Taiwan; some were settled in Puli, Chang Chinyu and other brewers joined in brewing, so the techniques of Shaohsing wine became more mature and wine tasted better. Starting in 1957, Puli Brewery no longer produced lower-grade alcohol, but became a winery that exclusively produced shaoxing wine.
Before the 90s, market share of “Puli Shaohsing wine” was always ahead, and dominated Taiwan’s cigarette and alcohol market for several decades, was extremely popular, and was the “treasure of the bureau” for the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation. However, with the opening of alcohol and cigarette imports by the government, and the resulting changes in consumption of alcohol and cigarettes by Taiwanese people, domestic alcohol and cigarettes became seriously adversely impacted. Even Puli Brewery, famous for its production of shao xing wine, had to deal with the shrinking alcohol business.
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