Any visit to Guizhou Province is not complete without a trip to Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, where visitors can stay in a local’s home and share in a wonderfully unique culture. But be careful – residents are extremely hospitable, and they brew an all-too-tasty regional wine.

Guizhou, lying on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, is blessed with a mild climate, which makes it green enough to be nicknamed the ‘Garden Province.’ It can also lay claim to unique ethnic customs, breathtaking landscapes, and a fascinating wine culture.

Due to its remote geographic location, Guizhou had little communication with the outside world and so its culture – including that of wine making – has been well preserved.

Wine plays an important role in ethnic art, ritual performances, and daily life. During folk festivals, it is traditionally offered to guests as an expression of hospitality.

Guizhou’s picturesque landscapes have bred in the locals a distinct character and mentality. Wine is not only merely a drink to them; it is an essential social lubricant in wedding ceremonies, birth celebrations, and sacrificial rituals. The beverage brings with it a complicated drinking etiquette, which bonds locals with a strong sense of decorum. Over the years, the wine etiquette of different ethnic groups has become an important signifier of cultural identities.

When guests from afar arrive at a local village, the first gift they receive is wine. Guests must drink the offering to display good will, and the custom is accompanied by traditional singing in a unique antiphonal style. The Miao ethnic group likes to refill guests cups at least three or four times, so tourists should be careful how many villages they visit!