While images of stunning mountains and ethnic minority villages might spring to mind when you think about Sapa, there’s another treasure you shouldn’t miss out on: Sapa Wine. Using ancient traditions, produced by H’Mong and Red Dao hands, each bottle of Sapa Wine reflects the area’s wild herbs, spring waters, and cultural essence. Whether it’s San Lung’s strong kick or Tao meo’s sweet, mild taste, this local treat complements the best food in Sapaperfectly and makes each sip a tale.
It’s not a beverage, it’s a generations-old tradition shared by the H’Mong, Dao Do, and Giay people, Sapa Wine. Locals produce this unique wine from natural ingredients such as upland corn, mountain apples (tao meo) found growing freely, glutinous rice, and cold mountain spring water.
It is Sapa Wine’s use of leaf yeast, a blend of more than 10 herbs from the forests, and fermentation in clay jars, followed by aging in mountain cellar caves, that makes it unique. The patient respectfulness with which it’s done extracts sharp, earthy flavors from the earth and people.
Every variety of Sapa Wine carries a story with it, whether it’s potent like San Lung wine or sweet like tao meo. It complements beautifully with Sapa’s best food, such as grilled meat or smoked buffalo. For a complete experience, don’t forget our best food Sapa guide, who brings wines to life!
Sapa Wine (Sours: mia)
It begins at San Lung Village, where the people believe this wine was given by heaven. Legend has it, rainbows passing by Po Sen Mountain were considered “streams from dragons", heaven’s blessings. It was from those legends that San Lung Wine emerged.
Paired with grilled boar or buffalo jerky from our foodie guide to Sapa, a match made in heaven!
San Lung Wine (Sours: topplus)
This Sapa Wine is a staple drink of the H’Mong and Dao people in the hills. But not any corn will do; it’s got to be grown on Ban Pho’s steep rock terraces or Lung Phinh, where yellow corn flourishes in rough earth at high elevation.
Drink tip: A morning sip in a small glass is said to provide local farmers with enough energy to work throughout the day, and you, for a day full of sightseeing, the best food, Sapa trail!
Corn Wine (Ruou Ngo) (Sours: vietnam)
No collection of Sapa Wine would be considered complete without tao meo wine, affectionately nicknamed “the love fruit wine” by members of the H’Mong tribe. These tiny, sour native apples can be found growing exclusively in Hoang Lien forests and are picked at full maturity in autumn.
When to enjoy it: Best served cold on a chilly evening after a long walk, or served with hot grilled skewers at a local evening market.
Tao Meo Wine (Sours: scootersaigontour)
Originating from the rice terraced hillsides and crisp air of the mountains, this Sapa Wine, produced by the Red Dao people, is characterized by smooth consistency and rich earthly scent.
Gift tip: This makes a wonderful souvenir, both tasty and culturally significant. Bring a bottle back for your next dinner party!
Paddy Rice Wine (Sours: laocaitourism)
Light, fragrant, and full of character, Ruou mo ma dao is the most fashionable from Sapa Wine’s collection. The apricots are located close to O Quy Ho Pass, caressed by mountain winds and sunshine.
Serving tip: Refrigerate it or serve it over ice with salted peanuts, and enjoy it at social gatherings or intimate dinners.
Apricot Wine (Sours: canhsenhong)
It begins with yeast pills composed of forest herbs, each ethnic minority has a secret formula. The Red Dao, for instance, uses more than 15 medicinal plants to create a leaf yeast, which adds health properties and a distinctive scent to the wine.
Whether rice, corn, or tao meo apples, the primary ingredient is boiled, cleaned, and cooled before being blended with herbal yeast and left to ferment. That fermentation occurs inside clay jars within mountain houses, where air is fresh and clean.
After fermentation, it’s slowly distilled over a wooden fire, usually twice, to purify the spirit and intensify flavors. It’s a warm, smoky process that perfumes the entire village with a deep, earthy aroma.
As with good wine anywhere else in the world, certain Sapa Wines are better with age. Some wines, such as tao meo wine and paddy rice wine, are aged in ceramic jars or in po mu hardwood barrels, which impart a hint of woody flavors.
The longer aging, particularly in cold mountain storage rooms, makes it smoother and more rounded in flavour. Aging also eliminates bitterness, making it perfect for pairing with the best food Sapa can offer, namely grilled buffalo meat or roasted sesame salt sticky rice.
It’s what makes Sapa Wine so distinct from mass-produced liquor, however, is the environment where it’s produced.
Swirl the wine gently in your glass before tasting. This releases its natural fragrances, particularly for a wine infused with herbs like San Lung Wine or ones full of fruit flavors like Tao Meo Wine.
Now sip a little, hold it on your tongue, and slowly exhale through your nose. You’ll pick up earthy flavors from forest yeast, smooth burn sensations from mountain corn, or sweet tangs from wild apples, depending upon the wine.
Let the flavors slowly develop, like the mist passing through rice terraces.
Sharing wine in Sapa equates to sharing respect.
From San Lung’s earthy depth, to tao meo’s sweet tang, to paddy rice wine’s smooth richness, every bottle of Sapa Wine is a testament to life, culture, and tradition in the highlands. Whether you’re toasting by a fire or entertaining at home, it’s not a drink, it’s a taste of tradition. For the ultimate experience, be certain to drink it with the best food Sapa, where each sip, each bite transports you to the core of the mountains.
We went on a private trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, the whole trip plan was organized for us by the Impress Travel Company from Vietnam, the company did an amazing job, the whole trip was organized in a wonderful way with an amazing match between the various parties, their choices were correct and the quality of the hotels chosen were very high quality and it is important to note that the price was low in comparison To other agencies, thanks to Impress Travel and especially to Daniel who was tolerant and open to changes and organized the route for us.
Impress travel were amazing. Did my bookings with Daniel for our tour of Vietnam and I must say Daniel was very professional and prompt with his services. All the arrangement, plans, pick-up & drop-off services, hotels, vehicles, sightseeing tours and guides were spot on and excellent. Did 4 nights Hanoi, 1 night Hà Long Bay cruise, 3 nights Hoian, 4 nights Saigon and 1 night in Can Tho. It was totally awesome. Every part of the journey was superbly arranged and planned. I will highly recommend Impress Travel for anyone interested in visiting Vietnam. Very organized and reliable!
I booked with Impress Travel in July. My contact person was Tommy Thang. He is an amazing person. He was very helpful. He changed my program twice for me. Very accommodating!
We started our holiday in the north (Sapa)of Vietnam and travelled down to HCMC.
The tour was fantastic, Tommy's arrangements were to the"T".
I will always use them if I have to visit the area again and recommend them to one and all.
Thank you once again Mr.Tommy and the Impress Team.
Sulaiman Pochee
Great value for money with 4 stars hotel accommodation for 4 couples. The tour guide has been very helpful and brought us to amazing places in Sapa. We want to thanks Thuy the tour guide and especially Mark from Impress Travel for his great service and assurance throughout our trip. We’ll definitely use his service for other tour packages in other parts of Vietnam.
This is the second time we travel to Vietnam with IMPRESS Travel. First time, we booked our holiday to Hanoi, Halong Bay & Sapa during Dec 2018 with Impress.
Second time, we travel to Hoi An, Hue & Danang (Central Vietnam) during Jan 2019.
My friends & I are very glad & happy with all the hotels stay in Central Vietnam, the meals provided are delicious. We are greatly appreciated with all the tour arrangement by Tommy & his team (tour guide).
Especially, Mr. NHAT C.V. He is helpful, cheerful, knowledgeable and very professional. He always volunteer to take a nice pictures for six of us (group) .
We enjoyed our holiday with Impress travel. We will definitely come back to Vietnam again with Impress
An amazing sapa tour to admire the dramatic scenery of Sapa Hill Station in the northwest of Vietnam such as imposing rice terraces, stunning green valleys, hills row on hills, mountains of mountains.
Three days of Sapa easy trekking to explore the most iconic attractiveness of Sapa such as rice terraces, lush-green valleys, imposing mountains rows of mountains, the cultural diversity.
To do the athletic activities as easy trekking to visit the rustic hill tribe villages via the stunning rice terraces, to meet at the friendly communication with local ethnic people, enjoy local foods.
The tour bring you to Sapa easy trekking tour to ethnic villages & O Quy Ho Glass bridge where travelers floating experience by the imposing scenery around and the deep smoking bottom.
