Ningbo sits in the cultural heartland of Shaoxing huangjiu (yellow rice wine) country, and the city has a strong tradition of drinking the local variety warm in small ceramic cups at the zinc counters of neighbourhood wine bars. These establishments — huangjiu bars rather than the Westernised bars of Jiangbei — are scattered through the old town lanes near the Drum Tower and the Lingqiao area, and they follow a format that has barely changed in a century: ceramic jars of rice wine at room or warming temperature, salt-preserved edamame and pickled vegetables as accompaniments, an elderly clientele, and a complete absence of ambient music.
The wine itself ranges from dry and astringent young vintages to rich, complex aged versions (chen nian) that have genuine complexity. A knowledgeable wine bar owner will explain the difference and allow tasting before committing to a clay jar. For anyone who associates Chinese alcohol with baijiu's throat-stripping intensity, a good aged huangjiu is a revelation — something closer in character to a dry sherry or Madeira than to anything else in the Chinese drinks canon.