Gaochang is rich in grapes, with many varieties, all of which are dry and sweet, with excellent taste. The quality of grapes used to make wine is the best in the Western Regions. Regardless of the East or the West, Gaochangguo's grape wine is a high-end and valuable luxury product and is very popular.
Everyone here is a home winemaker, and a few others also like to drink some grape wine. This is almost a custom in Gaochang Kingdom.
However, even the best-quality grape wine does not taste as mellow as the wine in front of you...
Everyone looked surprised, and Ju Wendou, who was vaguely the leader of the group, asked in surprise: "This wine is of excellent quality. I like to drink grape wine when I am free, but I have never tasted such a good product. I wonder where Mr. Hou’s wine comes from?”
Where is it produced?
Fang Jun chuckled and asked, "Prime Minister, do you think this is good?"
"Not only is it good, it is simply the best among grape wines! The grape wines that Xiaguan drank in the past, no matter how delicate the process, are inevitably sluggish in taste. This seems to be a common feature of all grape wines. The only way to store them is to seal them in cellars. , only after years can the stagnant astringency dissipate slightly. The wine of Marquis is clear and has the fragrance of fresh fruits when you drink it. It must be a new wine, but I have never seen such quality and taste before."
The Prime Minister Ju Wendou, with his fat head and big ears, shook his head while talking, and seemed to be a drunkard.
Fang Jun looked at the other people and asked with a smile: "How do you feel?"
Compared with Ju Wendou, the other people were obviously much more embarrassed when facing Fang Jun. There was no way they could do it. They were not as well-informed as Ju Wendou. Fang Jun seemed easy-going, but the various styles he displayed, coupled with the big Marquis Tang's halo bonus made these people obviously feel ashamed of themselves.
This is the pressure brought by status and hierarchy...
Several people murmured for a long time, but finally the oldest Akagi Hague choked out a sentence: "This wine can only be found in heaven, how many times can we drink it on earth?"
The old man was over seventy years old, with white hair and a boyish face, and a tall figure. Even when he was sitting on his knees, he was a full head taller than his companions around him. Although he is very old, he is physically strong and full of energy.
Although not all the people in Gaochang Kingdom are Han Chinese, they speak Chinese and write Chinese characters. The palace of Gaochang Kingdom is similar to Taiji Palace, and the construction of the city is also similar to Chang'an City. It can be said that throughout the Western Regions, most of the Hu people are Hanized.
The highest level of cultural invasion in later generations was completed as early as the Tang Dynasty...
Chimu Haiya belongs to the Uighur tribe, and his ancestors are all nobles of Gaochang. This person has great prestige and is very influential among the local Uighur people. His family is rich and wealthy, and he is very influential.
Fang Jun smiled and said: "This wine is made from grapes produced in Gaochang. But I know a secret method that can remove the astringent taste in the wine and make the wine smoother and more mellow."
Why does wine taste sour?
This is the same reason why all fruit wines have this phenomenon, because of the tannins contained in the peel!
Tannin can give fruit wine a texture when drunk, but if it is not processed, it will appear very stagnant and unpalatable.
Others would think that this is a basic attribute of fruit wine and is almost indelible, but to Fang Jun, this is not a problem.
Because he has a treasure that can neutralize tannins - glycerin!
That's right, it's the thing extracted from lard...
Now in the Guanzhong area, various fruit wines purified and processed by Fangjia Winery are already well-known and famous. The smooth and mellow taste is sought after by the literati and nobles, making "Xinfeng Fruit Wine" famous.
Now Fang Jun wants to work on wines from the Western Regions. Western Region wines are of better quality and are obviously more popular after being treated to neutralize tannins.
Of course, it’s not just as simple as making money…
Hearing this, Akagi Haiya's eyes suddenly widened: "Does the Marquis really mean what he said?"
His home has the largest winery in Gaochang Kingdom!
From Datang in the east to Dashi in the west, his grape wine is very popular and sales have always been very good. If the quality can be improved to a higher level, reaching or just approaching the level of the grape wine we are drinking now, then sales will definitely skyrocket!
"Of course!" Fang Jun raised his eyebrows, looked at Akagi Hague and said, "I plan to build a winery in Gaochang. I wonder if I have any plans to join the team?"
"Ah?" Akagi Hague was shocked.
Build a winery? Wouldn't that cut off our family's financial resources?
Akagi Hague is a well-known big merchant in Gaochang Kingdom. He does business in both the east and the west. Traveling to and from Guanzhong is a daily routine. He is very familiar with the rumors about Fang Jun. The Marquis in front of me was not only the most prominent nobleman in the Tang Empire, but he also had incredible ways of amassing money. He could be called the "God of Wealth"!
This small business of my own is considered a big business in Gaochang Kingdom or the Western Regions, and it is a big figure, but compared with others, it is nothing!
Although Akagi Hague has never been to Guanzhong, several of his sons have gone to Guanzhong for business all year round. They have also personally seen the Fangjiawan Pier where rare goods from the north and south of the Tang Dynasty are gathered, and they know a little about Fang Jun's financial resources.
If such a person with profound influence in Guanzhong interfered with the grape wine industry in Gaochang, wouldn't his family's business in Datang be completely ruined?
The two sides are completely unequal in terms of financial resources and status. How can they compete?
but……
Join?
The old man was so excited that his beard was jumping up and down: "Does the Marquis think highly of this old man?"
"Brother, you are belittling yourself. Who in the hundreds of miles around Gaochang Country doesn't know your reputation? Besides, you are not alone. Behind you are all the Uighurs..." Fang Jun said.
Akagi Hague understands instantly!
What people are interested in is not our old bones, but the clan members behind us!
This is an attempt to draw the Uighur people behind Datang...
The Aiwuer people, also known as the Uighurs, are a branch of the Tiele tribe. They have lived in Tula, Hebei and the Tianshan area for generations. They are a very powerful force among the Hu tribes in the Western Regions!
Without even thinking about it, Chimu Haiya said solemnly: "The Aiwuer people have been friendly with the Han people for generations. I dare not say anything else. Laochan, a tribe that has lived in Gaochang Kingdom for a long time, will look up to the Great Tang Dynasty from now on. I will be loyal to you from generation to generation and will never betray you. If you violate this oath, you will be punished by heaven and earth!"
Fang Jun chuckled and waved his hand, interrupting him: "The most useless thing in the world is an oath. If the oath were useful, wouldn't all the gods and Buddhas in the sky have to die from exhaustion? No one has the right to ask others to do anything unconditionally. What do you want? If you gain something, you must give something. This is the truth of heaven and earth and remains unchanged from ancient times. The Tang Dynasty needs the loyalty of the Uighur people. At the same time, the Tang Dynasty will also provide sufficient benefits to the Uighur people. Only mutual interests can maintain the relationship. Only an alliance can be longer-term and more sincere!"
"Master Hou is so knowledgeable and insightful, I am ashamed of myself!" Akagi Hague was stunned for a long time by Fang Jun and said with sincerity.
In this world, there is no such thing as unreasonable loyalty. When you greedily ask for the loyalty of others, but never think about what you should use in return, then this loyalty is like a fortress on the sand dunes. A storm will blow over and it will collapse. , falls apart.
But, how many people really understand this truth?
Fang Jun sat up straight, holding the wine glass in his hand, and said seriously: "I wonder what the annual output of all the wineries in Gaochang Kingdom is?"
"All the wineries in Gaochang Kingdom?" Akagi Hague asked in surprise.
Fang Jun nodded.
Akagi Hague thought for a while, shook his head, looked at Ju Wendou, and said: "I can't estimate it. I need to ask the Prime Minister for advice."
As the prime minister, Ju Wendou kept everything in his mind for such a big place as Gaochang State. After a moment of reflection, he said: "Gaochang State produces about 100,000 jins of various grapes every year, and the number of grape wines produced is also the same. no big difference."
The amount of grapes that can be used to make wine is determined by the sugar content of the grapes. Grapes with higher sugar content will make more wine.
The world's top wineries all have to control the amount of watering of the grapes they grow in order to increase the sugar content in the grapes. The most extreme example of this is the grapevines of Chateau Lafite. It is said that one tree at Chateau Lafite can only produce half a bottle of wine on average.
On the contrary, those wineries that produce low-end wines are all trying desperately to increase the wine yield of grapes. From the beginning, they produce five taels of wine per kilogram of grapes, to one kilogram of wine, two kilograms of wine, and finally simply use Alcohol + essence + coloring + water are blended with wine...
In the end, countless wines can be produced without grapes...
