3,700-Year-Old 'Red Rice Wine' Found in Chinese Tombs Reveals Ancient Brewing Tech

How did Bronze Age communities connect with their dead? New research from northwestern China suggests the answer might lie at the bottom of a wine cup. Pottery vessels from a cemetery reveal that people 3,700 years ago consumed a beverage similar to red rice wine, made using a sophisticated fermentation starter still found in modern sake.

A Toast to the Afterlife

Archaeologists said the drink played a key part in mortuary rituals. According to a joint research team from Northwest University in Xian, the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, and Stanford University, this tradition likely served to strengthen the bond between the living and the deceased. Their findings were published in the October issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

The discovery was made at the Mogou cemetery in Gansu province, a massive site used for 600 years between 1700 and 1100 BC. Excavated between 2008 and 2012, it holds the remains of 5,000 people.

The Secret Ingredient: 'Qu'

The breakthrough lies in identifying the use of a fermentation starter known as 'qu' (麴). This mixture of cereals, moulds, and yeasts is remarkably similar to the starter used to make sake today. The researchers' analysis of residue from the pottery confirms that Bronze Age people had a working knowledge of this complex brewing method.

The site's location on the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau is also significant. It was a prime spot on a key route linking Central Asia and Central China, making it a hub for cultural exchange for centuries.