Unique products to serve the Spring and Tet holiday from Xa Doai oranges

For many years now, every Tet holiday, for Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Dung's family in Vinh city, Xa Doai orange wine is an indispensable dish.

“Xa Doai orange wine has a very distinctive aroma. Before, I used to go to the garden to buy oranges to soak in rice wine myself. 10 oranges can be soaked in about a 10-liter jar. It only takes more than a month to drink. It is very easy to drink, light and has a distinctive flavor. But in the past few years, I have known about the wine sold by orange garden owners. I no longer soak it myself but buy it because the wine tastes smoother, sweeter, and does not have the harsh taste of orange peel like the one I soak.”

In Nghi Dien commune (Nghi Loc) - the "capital" of famous Xa Doai orange gardens, Mr. Phan Cong Huong (Yen Phuc hamlet) is one of the households that produces the most orange wine. He is also one of the owners of the largest orange growing area in Nghi Dien commune, with 3 orange gardens of nearly 1 acre (0.5 ha), with over 400 orange trees, of which about 250 are currently being harvested, the rest were newly planted a few years after the demolition of the old, degraded orange garden. Every year-end, close to the Lunar New Year, he not only sells oranges but is also known to customers near and far for his famous orange wine.

To have a good bottle of wine, one must be very meticulous. The wine must be rice wine, brewed by the grandmother herself, rich and delicious; soaked in a way that still retains the unique flavor of the orange, blending with the aroma of the homemade rice wine, thereby bringing a rich flavor and interesting experiences, can be used for any party, holiday or family meal.

Every season, when the cold has turned bitter, the oranges on the tree are ripe and the workers start cutting the oranges to make wine. Only small oranges are used to make wine, but the quality and juiciness are no different from big, beautiful oranges. The oranges are cut down, washed, drained, and then soaked whole.

Almost all families in Nghi Dien commune farm and grow sticky rice. Mr. Huong's family harvests about 2 tons of sticky rice each year. Right from the beginning of the year, she started making wine, making it sporadically throughout the year. The finished wine is put into jars, and after at least 3 months, orange wine is soaked in it. "The longer the sticky rice wine is fermented, the smoother it becomes. From this year, I will start burying it underground to make it even smoother. Soaked with delicious oranges for at least 5-6 months, Xa Doai orange wine has a sweet, smooth taste and a very fragrant orange scent, only about 25-28 degrees, and is increasingly popular and consumed," Mr. Huong shared.

Every year, he soaks about 500 quintals of oranges, making about 500 liters of wine. In addition to oranges, he adds a small amount of honey to make the wine sweet and fragrant. This year, he sells a 5-liter jar of orange wine for 500,000 VND. Since 2023, Mr. Huong has started making small bottles. Some customers bring jars to get wine, while others buy large jars or small bottles of wine, beautifully presented, to give as gifts to Saigon, Hanoi...

Not only delicious, oranges soaked in wine can also help cure many diseases, the peel can be eaten to cure digestive diseases, intestinal diseases, flu... According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thiet, an officer of Nghi Dien Commune's Land and Agriculture Department: In addition to 10 hectares of oranges grown in concentrated farms, in Nghi Dien there are currently about 50 households growing Xa Doai oranges in their home gardens, with an area of ​​over 30 hectares, of which 15 hectares produce stable fruit every year. However, among them, only a few households specialize in soaking oranges in wine for sale, so this is a specialty that is "hunted" a lot, sometimes "supply" does not meet "demand", especially during Tet holiday.