Traditional wine made from 'chicken-claw grain'

Medog, a county in the southeast of the Tibet autonomous region, was the last without road-links in China. With the opening of the Galung La tunnel at the end of 2010, Medog welcomed in a new era. CCTV has a special series on the once poorly accessible place. Today we start with its special drink, a kind of alcohol called "chicken claw wine".

In Medog county, this wine is the best for hospitality.

It’s made from a kind of grain which looks like a chicken’s claw, hence the name of the wine.

The grain is planted at an altitude of less than 2,500 meters in warm and humid fields.

To make the wine, people thresh the grain, fried it and steam it with corn. When it cools down, the yeast added.

The climate in Medog is very warm, so residents cover the grain with leaves while it ferments.

"We have to cover the grain to stop it getting too warm." Winemaker Bde Chen Dbang Mo said.

It takes about a week before its ready. But the longer it’s sealed, the better it tastes.

The highway to Medog country will open soon, and wine makers hope it will benefit them.

"I want to build a house next to the road. I hope more people will buy my wine." Winemaker Bde Chen Dbang Mo said.

The "chicken claw" wine is not just for entertaining but also for ceremonies such as weddings and funerals.

In the past when transport was less developed, the wine served as a daily drink.

For most families in Medog, the grain to make the "chicken claw" wine uses up about 30 percent their total grain consumption.