From Foreign Wine to Local Delicacy: The Localization Transformation of Grape Wine in the Tang Dynasty

Abstract

Grape wine was introduced to the Central Plains from Central Asia via the Silk Road and underwent an identity transformation from “foreign goods” to “local delicacies” during the Tang Dynasty. Taking Emperor Taizong’s “modification of winemaking” as a pivotal event, this paper examines, based on extant literature such as Tang Huiyao, Taiping Yulan, and New Book of Tang, as well as unearthed documents from Turpan, how the Tang court selectively adopted and adapted Western winemaking knowledge using local brewing traditions as a benchmark. It analyzes how the improved grape wine was institutionalized through the tribute system and the documentation of famous wines, and explores the process by which it ultimately acquired a local identity in social consumption. The study reveals that the localization of grape wine in the Tang Dynasty was not due to its superiority as a foreign product but rather because the Central Plains society systematically reorganized and redefined it using existing brewing systems, institutional frameworks, and cultural expressions.