By Judy Tseng and Ko Lin
PARIS, France, (CNA) – Rum produced from pure sugarcane juice in Taiwan recently won two grand gold medals at a prestigious international wine competition in France.
The awards were announced this week following the conclusion of the 31st Vinalies Internationales, which received over 2,600 entries from 37 countries around the world this year.
Among them, two types of “Rhum Agricole,” a French word for agricultural rum, produced by Taiwan Sugar Research Institute in collaboration with National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism (NKUHT), received two grand gold medals.
In 2021, the institute and NKUHT signed a joint project to research and develop a local rum that is “distinguishably Taiwanese.”
Wu Ming-chang (吳明昌), chairman of Taiwan Sugar Corp. (Taisugar), said the hope was to promote locally-produced rum on the international market.
Globally, rum is classified into two main categories — industrial rum and agricultural rum, with the former being produced from molasses while the latter is obtained exclusively from the fermentation of pure sugarcane.
Chen Chien-hao (陳千浩), who graduated from Université de Bourgogne in France and currently teaches at NKUHT, told CNA via telephone that the Dutch introduced sugarcane cultivation to Taiwan 400 years ago.
Although sugar from sugarcane has encountered price bottlenecks due to international competition, Taiwan has created a terroir for rum that is uniquely Taiwanese.
“Taking a path that no one has walked before is incredibly challenging and lonely,” Chen said.
The NKUHT educator has been working to revive lost indigenous liquor for some time, while expressing hope that it can be promoted on the international stage.
The opening up of the brewing industry 20 years ago not only encouraged active participation from the private sector but also received strong support from the government, he said.
This has allowed the private sector to gradually develop local spirits using international-level brewing techniques, which represents a significant advantage for Taiwan, Chen added.
The post Taiwanese rum wins gold medals in French competition appeared first on Caribbean News Global.
