Kweichow Moutai Collector's Notes: How to Determine Age and Authenticity from Label Details
Key points of this article (in-depth analysis): For most people, the "Feitian" Moutai and "Five-Star" Moutai trademarks are more widely known, while "Sunflower" has almost no presence. Most people haven't seen or even heard of it.
For most people, the "Feitian" Moutai and "Five-Star" Moutai trademarks are more widely known, while "Sunflower" has almost no presence. Most people haven't seen or even heard of it. In fact, "Sunflower Brand" Moutai is a product of a special era, produced from 1967 to 1975.
The product was once exported overseas and enjoyed nationwide fame. Due to its short existence, only a handful remain today. This is why "Sunflower Brand" Moutai either appears at major auctions or is kept by enthusiasts of aged Moutai.
"Sunflower Brand" Moutai is a product of a special era, produced from 1967 to 1975.
The product was once exported overseas and enjoyed nationwide fame. Due to its short existence, only a handful remain today. This is why "Sunflower Brand" Moutai either appears at major auctions or is kept by enthusiasts of aged Moutai.
The Sunflower trademark on Sunflower Moutai also comes in two types: large-leaf sunflower and small-leaf sunflower.
The front and back labels of the large-leaf sunflower wine are both in traditional Chinese characters. "Large-leaf Sunflower" Moutai was produced in small quantities only between 1967 and 1968, so very few exist today.
Since the large-leaf sunflower was not registered overseas and was not used for a long time, it was once thought that this type of Moutai was merely a legend, or its historical authenticity was simply denied.
However, on July 10, 2012, at the "Chinese Aged Famous Wine" special auction, a bottle of 250g "Large-leaf Sunflower" Moutai wine, numbered "3313," sold for 575,000 RMB. After this auction, Large-leaf Sunflower Moutai quickly caused a sensation in the wine collecting circle.
The special Large-leaf Sunflower made a fleeting but brilliant appearance in the history of Moutai wine. It not only enriched the Moutai collection with a rare and scarce variety from a special period but also became a unique annotation to the times.
Because the "Large-leaf Sunflower" trademark was not successfully registered overseas at the time, the "Small-leaf Sunflower" trademark of Shandong Cereals and Oils Import and Export Corporation was adopted instead.
The sunflower pattern on its trademark became noticeably smaller, hence it is called small-leaf sunflower, and all the Chinese characters on its main label were changed from traditional to simplified.
The Small-leaf Sunflower brand trademark was used approximately from 1968 to 1975. Compared to the Large-leaf Sunflower, there are more Small-leaf Sunflower bottles in existence. The Sunflower brand Moutai usually seen on the market is the Small-leaf Sunflower. On June 18, 2021, a "Sunflower Brand" Moutai, which sold for a staggering million British pounds (about 9 million RMB) at a Sotheby's auction in the UK, was also a "Small-leaf Sunflower."
Three Revolutions Sunflower
In 1975, the export trademark "Sunflower Brand" was discontinued and "Feitian Brand" was restored. However, the "Sunflower" wine label was not completely abolished.
In 1978, with the approval of relevant departments and in the spirit of frugality, 258,000 printed "Sunflower Brand" export trademarks were used for domestic packaging. The main label of this wine consisted of the Sunflower brand trademark and Chinese and English patterns, without a ribbon. The back of the bottle still featured the "Three Revolutions" back label, which is why this wine is commonly known in collecting circles as "Three Revolutions Sunflower" or "Three Sunflowers." This wine was wrapped in white cotton paper, and its quality was no different from the domestic Three Revolutions Moutai of the same period. During this time, a rare phenomenon occurred in the domestic Moutai liquor market in China: "Golden Wheel" and "Sunflower" coexisted, and domestic and export versions were unified, with two different trademarks of domestic Moutai issued simultaneously.
Sunflower Brand Moutai is a product of a special era. The Large-leaf Sunflower only existed for about a year, the Small-leaf Sunflower for about 8 years, and the Three Revolutions Sunflower for only one year.
Due to their short existence, Sunflower Brand Moutai possesses a strong sense of the era, special historical significance, and immense collection and commemorative value.
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