Top 10 Best Traditional Rice Wines to Serve During Tet Celebrations

When it comes to Tet wines, the Mường ethnic group is known for their black sticky rice wine. If you’re visiting the Mường people during Tet this year, be sure to try this unique local wine! Black sticky rice wine is made from fermented black sticky rice, which has a rich, reddish-brown color and high nutritional value. The wine is brewed using a special yeast made from Sa Nhan and natural herbs, along with other ingredients like roots, tubers, and leaves from various plants. Anyone who has tasted this distinctive Tet wine will notice its striking purple hue, shining like honey. The flavor of black sticky rice wine is sweet, aromatic, and smooth, with a rich and comforting taste that feels both unfamiliar and familiar at the same time. The first sip might tingle your tongue, but with every sip, it becomes sweeter, warming your stomach and leaving you slightly tipsy with its delicious taste. This wine is not just a popular Tet drink but also a traditional remedy, known for its health benefits like improving blood circulation, boosting heart health, and aiding digestion. The Mường people always serve black sticky rice wine during important festivals, family gatherings, and Tet celebrations. If you’re lucky enough to enjoy it this Lunar New Year, consider yourself fortunate!

San Lung wine is a specialty of the Red Dao people, originating from San Lung village in the Ban Xeo commune, Bat Xat district. Along with Mèo Apple wine and Bac Ha corn wine, San Lung is one of the famous wines of Lao Cai. It has a unique aroma from forest herbs and a rich flavor from upland rice. Unlike other wines made from fermented rice, corn, or cassava, San Lung wine is brewed from rice and fermented using fifteen types of wild leaves. The quality of water and the local climate give San Lung wine its special flavor. The wine is crystal clear with a pure, delicate fragrance, a gentle sweetness, and a slight creaminess. According to Dao folklore, this wine is brewed for offerings to spirits and gods, making it a wine that is carefully crafted not just for its culinary value, but also for its spiritual and cultural significance.

San Lung is a renowned wine in the highlands of Northern Vietnam, cherished for its rich taste and unique flavor profile. When enjoyed, it offers a pleasant, uplifting experience—neither too intoxicating nor overwhelming. It pairs perfectly with highland specialties such as hot smoked buffalo meat or grilled stream fish. Handcrafted by the Dao people, this Tet wine is offered to ancestors and the gods, embodying both the spiritual meaning and cultural heritage of the Dao community. It’s the perfect wine to celebrate this Spring festival.

Corn wine, a Tet specialty, is closely associated with the Bản Phố region in Bắc Hà, home to the Mong people. This iconic wine carries the essence of the Northwest mountains. If you visit this highland area, you’ll find it sold at the local wine market in the Cán Cấu market during Tet. As the Lunar New Year approaches, the wine market becomes even more bustling, and Bản Phố corn wine has earned a reputation for its unmistakable, rich flavor. Made from corn and fermented with pink mi yeast, along with water from the rocky mountains, this wine carries the heartfelt touch of the people of Bản Phố in every drop. To prepare corn wine for the Spring festival, the brewer must wait several weeks or even up to a few years to age the wine. The aging process is what gives it its distinctive taste, with older wine becoming richer in flavor. Many people order corn wine early to ensure it has aged long enough to achieve the best taste. The wine is clear and fragrant, with the first sip bringing a sharp, spicy sensation on the tongue. As the wine slides down your throat, a warming heat spreads through your body, keeping you warm in the chill of the mountains. Afterward, you’ll feel a smooth, refreshing sensation.

Mẫu Sơn wine is a delicious specialty from the Dao people on the Mẫu Sơn peak in Lạng Sơn province, embodying the essence of Mẫu Sơn’s land and sky. This Tet wine is produced through a traditional, handcrafted distillation process using only clean, white rice and pure water from the mountain streams, combined with a special mix of over 30 medicinal herbs such as roots, betel leaves, and sweet vines. The result is a clear, smooth wine with a distinctive, rich flavor—neither too spicy nor too bland—highlighting the flavors of mountain herbs and roots. When consumed, it leaves a cool sensation, perfect for welcoming the new day in Lạng Sơn. In the mornings, amidst the chilly air, the locals savor this intoxicating wine, which fills the village with its delightful aroma. Beyond its taste, Mẫu Sơn wine is also believed to have medicinal properties, helping to improve blood circulation and relieve joint and back pain. The Dao people use it to invigorate themselves, starting their day with energy. If you want to experience a unique Tet treat from a high mountain peak, come to Mẫu Sơn and enjoy this special wine amidst the vast and scenic mountains of the Northwest during Tet!

Bàu Đá Wine is a renowned specialty from Bình Định province in Central Vietnam. Historically, it was considered a royal beverage, served to the king and nobility during significant ceremonies. This Tet wine has a long-standing popularity, dating back to the feudal era of Vietnam. Made from brown rice or sticky rice, the wine typically has a milky white color. Its distinctive flavor is potent, aromatic, and can easily make those unaccustomed to strong alcohol feel intoxicated. The moment the wine is poured, bubbles form, and it continues to bubble while fermenting, filling the air with a pleasant, lively sound, which brings joy to the brewers. Over time, despite a growing trend in local wine production, the quality has declined, but there are still families who maintain the old brewing methods and produce top-quality Bàu Đá Wine. To get the best Bàu Đá, one must visit the traditional brewing village of Bàu Đá, where the wine's character is enhanced by the natural underground water used in the brewing process. Even with the same ingredients, wine made elsewhere doesn’t match the quality. Drinking Bàu Đá Wine is not only about enjoying a strong buzz but also about experiencing a traditional pleasure of the Central Vietnamese during Tet. Nowadays, both domestic and international visitors flock to Bình Định to taste this famous Tet wine and feel the unique sensation it brings, with its sharp, tingling flavor that excites the tongue.

In the Mekong Delta, the image of farmers singing folk tunes while passing around glasses of clear, white wine is a cherished tradition. This iconic drink is Đế Wine, especially renowned in Gò Đen, Long An province, known as the finest spirit of the river delta. Traditionally, the people of Gò Đen, along with other southern locals, use sticky rice to make this wine, with variations depending on the type of rice used—such as black rice, glutinous rice, and more. The result is a high-proof, strong yet aromatic wine. When sipped, it brings warmth, opening hearts and encouraging lively conversation after a long day in the fields. Đế Wine is a constant at family reunions, especially during Tet celebrations. Đế Wine is made by fermenting rice into a high-proof alcoholic drink. It can also include other grains like barley, maize, and cassava, but sticky rice is most commonly used for its aromatic flavor and slight sweetness. In southern Vietnam, Đế Wine has been passed down for generations, and the brewing process has remained steeped in tradition. The distinct flavor of the rice, combined with the time-honored technique, creates a special beverage enjoyed throughout the Mekong Delta during the Tet holiday. If you’re a fan of Tet wines, don't miss the chance to savor Đế Wine – a beloved and culturally significant drink of southern Vietnam.

The apple tree, or Sơn Trà, grows abundantly across the Hoàng Liên Sơn mountain range. The fruit of this tree is often used to make a rustic, yet uniquely delicious, wine. Known for its brown color and sweet, fragrant taste, Apple Wine is a special drink from the Northwestern region of Vietnam. The apples, nourished by the wind, earth, and sun of the highlands, develop a balance of sweet, sour, and slightly bitter flavors. After careful fermentation, the essence of the apples is extracted to create this distinctive wine. At first, Apple Wine may taste like a fizzy soft drink, but the more you drink, the more intoxicating it becomes. Apple Wine is a beloved drink of the indigenous people of the Northwestern mountains, and it also serves as a traditional Tet wine. The apples themselves are rich in Vitamin C, making the wine a healthy choice. This beverage aids in digestion, improves blood circulation, and helps reduce arterial plaque. Regular consumption of Apple Wine also boosts the immune system, promoting overall health. Additionally, it is known for its benefits in weight loss, lowering blood fat, improving appetite, and protecting the liver while effectively reducing cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Fragrant Sticky Rice Wine is a traditional drink, particularly cherished during the Tet celebrations by the Kinh people. This wine is made from fermented glutinous rice, which is then distilled into a clear, pure drink. Its transparent color comes from the distillation process, which preserves the distinctive flavors of the rice. Upon tasting this Tet wine, you will surely remember its unique sweetness, full-bodied flavor, and subtle spicy notes. The more you drink, the more it intoxicates, offering a sweet and euphoric experience. Today, Fragrant Sticky Rice Wine is a popular Tet beverage found on many festive tables. It remains a favorite drink, enjoyed by many, as it brings the authentic, traditional taste of Vietnam into the heart of every celebration.

The glutinous rice used for making Sticky Rice Wine is typically short-grain, milky-white rice. The rice starch is mainly composed of amylopectin, which makes it easy to gelatinize and stick together after cooking. In some regions of Vietnam, special varieties of sticky rice, such as purple rice or yellow flower sticky rice, are used to make non-distilled alcoholic beverages like fermented rice wine or rice cakes. Additionally, long-grain rice with similar starch content can be used as a substitute for sticky rice in brewing. The fermentation process is facilitated by yeast cakes, a traditional family or village recipe that has been passed down through generations. These yeast cakes contain microorganisms that break down the starch into sugar and ferment the sugar into alcohol.

Golden Flower Sticky Rice Wine is a renowned traditional drink originating from the Kinh people in the Làng Vân area of Northern Vietnam. Also known as ả rice wine or golden flower rice wine, this beverage is made using a time-honored method that combines glutinous rice and wine yeast with over 35 types of rare Chinese herbs. The result is a wine with a distinct golden hue, a smooth and rich taste, and a balanced alcohol content that’s not too strong, accompanied by a sweet and slightly spicy finish. When drinking this Tet wine, you’ll experience a soothing, almost floating sensation as the aroma of yeast and glutinous rice blend together. Over time, the craft of making Golden Flower Sticky Rice Wine has spread, reaching people across the country and even some international markets.

The secret to the unique flavor of Golden Flower Sticky Rice Wine lies in its ingredients: the glutinous rice used is grown on fertile land in Làng Vân, Bắc Giang Province, and the special yeast is crafted with traditional medicinal herbs. This product is a cherished family heirloom, and Làng Vân's version has become a famous brand, recognized not only throughout Vietnam but also abroad. When visiting the Kinh Bắc region, don’t forget to take home a bottle of this exquisite Tet wine as a thoughtful gift for friends and family. This year’s Tet celebration will be even more meaningful with a bottle of this beloved traditional drink.

The Thai ethnic group is well-known for their underground-aged sticky rice wine, particularly enjoyed during Tet celebrations. Made from locally sourced sticky rice and natural ingredients, this wine undergoes a unique fermentation process. The rice is cultivated on the slopes of the mountains and buried underground for over a year, where it absorbs the essence of both the land and the people of the Northwest. This underground aging process, known as 'hạ thổ', also helps purify the wine by removing any impurities. The wine is buried in jars in the earth, sometimes in sand, water, or wells, for a minimum of three months, though the longer it ages, the better the flavor.

In addition to its unique flavor, the underground-aged wine also has detoxifying properties, reducing its alcohol content compared to when it was initially brewed. It has a clear, pale color and a smooth, sweet taste that is easy to drink. You can even enjoy it chilled to appreciate the subtle flavors of Highland Sticky Rice Wine, a popular Tet drink in the highlands. The temperature plays a key role in the quality of the wine, and due to the unpredictable climate in Vietnam, the underground aging process ensures optimal results. If you visit the Northwest, don't miss the chance to savor Highland Sticky Rice Wine during Tet with the local Thai people!