Expats pose for a group photo in front of a winery in the Shaoxing Huangjiu Town, Yuecheng district, Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang province on Nov 12. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Veteran winemaker Xu Hailong has gotten much busier after Nov 7 - the day marked the beginning of winter on the traditional Chinese solar calendar this year - as this period is considered the best season of a year to brew Shaoxing huangjiu, or yellow rice wine, in Shaoxing.

Every day, the 62-year-old performs a variety of tasks, including soaking, steaming and mixing rice with yeast before fermenting them in vats.

This time of the year also sees a marked increase in the number of visitors, but despite the throngs of people entering and leaving the premises, the man never loses his focus and continues stirring a large ceramic vat at a steady pace so as to ensure the rice grains within ferment at the optimal temperature.

Among the recent visitors was a delegation of 10 expats from various countries, including the United States, Italy, Bangladesh, Nepal and Yemen, who were on a tour of the Shaoxing Huangjiu Town Nov 12.

Shaoxing, a waterside city in East China's Zhejiang province, is widely regarded as the home for yellow rice wine in China, similar to how Bordeaux is viewed as the mecca for wine in France.