On Nov 24, the 9th Hubei Province College Student Wine Body Design Competition reached its climax at Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU), attracting 134 participants from 15 universities in Hubei province. The competition featured a diverse array of challenges including wine body design, a wine brewing theory exam, taste recognition, beer evaluation, ethanol concentration identification, and Baijiu evaluation, showcasing the multifaceted talents and knowledge of the contestants.
In the taste recognition segment, participants had to discern "sour, sweet, salty, umami" flavors from five transparent solutions with substances like sugar, salt, and MSG at concentrations as low as one thousandth to one ten-thousandth, testing the participants' taste perception accuracy.
The beer evaluation section used the classic "three-cup method", challenging participants to identify the unique flavor among three visually identical beers.
The ethanol concentration identification section required the participants to judge the alcohol percentage through tasting.
In the Baijiu evaluation stage, participants engaged their senses of smell and taste in facing the challenge of discerning five major aroma types: Daqu, Xiaoqu, mixed fragrance, light fragrance and strong fragrance.
The students taste the wine to identify its aroma types. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]
For the wine body design assessment, renowned wine tasters and chief engineers from well-known liquor companies served as judges, evaluating and scoring the students' submissions and liquor samples.
The Wine Culture Forum and Award Ceremony were held in the National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology at HZAU as well.
Liao Weifang, an associate professor at Wuhan Polytechnic University, discussed the research on functional microorganisms in Baijiu, presenting the latest research results on high-temperature Daqu microorganisms, synthetic microbial consortia, and Acetobacter aceti named A. jinshanensis BJ01.
Le Xixuan, a senior engineer at Jing Brand Co Ltd, provided detailed insights into raw materials, microorganisms, brewing processes, flavors and wine aging, guiding participants on how to systematically design wine products.
Liu Wei from AB InBev explained the origins and culture of beer from various perspectives such as definition, history and composition.
During the award ceremony, the winners were announced by Fan Jinfeng, secretary of the CPC College of Life Science & Technology Committee.
Fan Jinfeng (R) presents awards to the three winners of the comprehensive awards for wine body design. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]
The competition awarded three comprehensive awards for wine body design, and determined several first, second, and third prizes in five categories: Baijiu wine body design, formulated liquor, fermented liquor, beer, and other distilled liquors.
Wang Congyan, deputy secretary of the CPC HZAU Committee, on behalf of the university, congratulated the teams and individuals who achieved outstanding results in the competition.
Wang Congyan congratulates the students who won the competition. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]
He explained the history of brewing in Chinese culture, encouraging more universities and professionals from related fields to participate in the competition in the future.
"This honor is both an encouragement and a spur. In the future, I will continue to delve into the field of wine brewing, refine my skills, and constantly surpass myself," said Du Yongkai, a graduate student from the College of Life Science & Technology and a recipient of the top award.
The Hubei Province College Student Wine Body Design Competition was launched in 2016 by HZAU and the Hubei Wine Industry Association. Upholding the principles of "natural, healthy, environmentally friendly, inheritable and delicious", the competition aims to promote Chinese wine culture, inspire students' professional interests and innovation capabilities.
Nearly a thousand students from 20 universities in the province have registered for the competition, since it called for entry in March. Ultimately, 134 participants from 15 universities entered the final of the competition.