Longan wine facts for kids

Longan wine is a Southeast Asian fermented drink made of an old variety of the Vitis vinifera known as longan or dark-skinned dragon's eye. While originating in China, it has also become a speciality in a number of locations in Southeast Asia such as the province of Bac Lieu.

History

The longan fruit has long been grown and produced as wine along the Great Wall of China especially in the provinces of Xinjiang, Gansu, Shanxi and Hebei.  

It gained popular in the later half of the 20th century. Thus, the white wine of dried longan from China's Greatwall Wine Co. was a silver medal winner at the 14th International Wine - Tasting Meeting in London in 1983.

Since then, production of longan wine has spread to Southeast Asia. Thus, since 2015, it has been developed commercially on a small-scale in Thailand and in Cambodia.

Preparation

Longan liqueur is made by macerating the longan flesh in alcohol.

In Southeast Asia, particularly in Northern Thailand, longan fruit is overabundant when in season and therefore its is dried and processed into various products, among which longan wine. This research was thus aimed to develop the high antioxidant wine from dried longan seed.

Fermentation temperature is suggested at 30°C due to the shorter time of production.