VietNamNet Bridge - Without brewing or fermentation, the wine extracted from the fruits of ta vat trees in Quang Nam province has sweet and slightly bitter taste, spicy and tingling on the tongue-- which fascinates anyone who has an opportunity to taste.

Ta vat is a variety of palm tree that are very popular in the mountainous areas of Quang Nam province. The natural fermented sweet and pure juice from ta vat fruits, added with some kinds of leaves has become a specialty of Co Tu ethnic minority group in the mountainous districts of Dong Giang, Tay Giang and Nam Giang.

To taste this special wine, visitors will have to travel more than 100 km of rugged forest road, towards Highway 14G from Da Nang city.

Ta vat fruits yield the most juice in the time from August to the Lunar New Year (about February of the next year). At this time, if you have the opportunity to follow locals to the forest, you will see Co Tu men perching on the top of ta vat trees to collect juice. This is a very important step because if they do wrong way, the tree will not yield juice.

To make the juice ferment without cooking or using yeast, Co Tu people adds the bark of chuon trees to the juice. Depending on the amount of the bark—determines if the alcohol is a high or low concentration, bitter or not. Now, the juice turns from pure white to milky white but it still maintains the soft sweet and rather acrid taste at the tip of the tongue.

In Quang Nam, ta vat is also the popular material to make wine of other ethnic tribes like Ve and Ta Rieng. However, the Co Tu people are the master of ta vat wine processing. This is not only a favorite wine of Co Tu men but also Co Tu women. Moreover, all tourists come here like this kind of wine very much.

Ta vat trees in the harvest season. Photo: bebeja.com

Ta vat alcohol is used by Co Tu people in special events, such as weddings, holidays and to entertain guests.

So when you visit Quang Nam’s western districts, you will be invited by friendly and hospitable Co Tu people to enjoy ta vat wine, which is called ta vat champagne or beer of the jungle by many tourists. Sitting under the ta vat trees to taste the essential wine of the forest, tiredness will disappear.

If you stay here overnight, the highland village will welcome you in the flickering firelight and interesting folk stories. Especially on the buffalo festival or the Lunar New Year, besides ta vat wine, you will be treated with many delicious specialties made from ta vat trees and other special cuisines. In the traditional house called Guol of Co Tu people, you will feel drunk in the heady bouquet of ta vat wine while dancing the Tung Tung Da Da dance of the Co Tu people.

Le Ly