Shaoxing huangjiu (yellow rice wine) will becomeaccessible to wine lovers across the nation, with help from Alibaba's Tmall e-commerce platform, local media reported on Nov 13.

The commerce bureau of Shaoxing, China Shaoxing Yellow Rice Wine Group and Alibaba's Tmall e-commerce platform signed an agreement to develop a delivery service that will allow Shaoxing huangjiuto be delivered to 483 domestic cities within hours.

Shaoxing huangjiu, which has been brewed for more than 2,500 years, is believed to be one of the oldest alcoholic beverages in China. The earliest textual record traces it back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC).

Just as Bordeaux is the wine center of France, Shaoxing, an old water town an hour's drive to the southeast of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, is widely regarded as the home of yellow rice wine in China.

Yellow rice wineproduced in the city is exported to more than 40 countries and regions, and the brewing technique used was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2006.

Qian Xiaohua, director of the municipal commerce bureau, said the city will integrate the local wine industry with Alibaba's e-commerce resources and boost the sales of yellow rice wine in regions where itis hard to obtain.