Pisco Spirit of Peru

ATTRIBUTES OF PISCO

HISTORY

DENOMINATION

MILESTONES

PRODUCTION

ATTRIBUTES

SOURCES

ATTRIBUTES

HISTORY

DENOMINATION

MILESTONES

PRODUCTION

ATTRIBUTES

SOURCES

BIODIVERSITY

It appears in the unique flavors of the eight types of pisco grapes, the result of our variety of climates and soils.

QUALITY

It comes from a traditional distillation process (in stills) and a Designation of Origin endorsed by 70 countries.

HISTORY

It is more than four centuries old – when the first vines were planted – and the origin of its name is linked to the Quechua word 'pisqu' (meaning bird), and to a port city in southern Peru.

CULTURE

It comes from the tradition and customs of fishermen that are part of our identity.

VERSATILITY

It provides an infinity of sensations and flavors for creating amazing cocktails, thereby becoming a true source of experiences.

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PISCO DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN

HISTORY

DENOMINATION

MILESTONES

PRODUCTION

ATTRIBUTES

SOURCES

DENOMINATION

HISTORY

DENOMINATION

MILESTONES

PRODUCTION

ATTRIBUTES

SOURCES

Pisco is one
of Peru’s
flagship products

In 1990, the Peruvian State declared the Pisco Designation of Origin, and ratified it the following year.

In 2005, it registered this Denomination of Origin with the World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO.

The following characteristics are essential for Pisco to comply with the regulations of the Designation of Origin:

Special geographical conditions.
Customs and tradition.
Freshly fermented musts.
Direct and discontinuous distillation process.

Distillation fraction (body or core) with an alcoholic strength by volume of between 38° and 48° (% vol).
Aged for at least 3 months.

On October 30

2013, in Brussels, the European Commission granted Peru the registration of 'Pisco' as a geographical indication. Currently, more than 70 countries recognize the Peruvian Pisco Designation of Origin.

PISCO IN THE WORLD AND AWARDS

PISCO IN THE WORLD

SHARED RITUAL

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

SHARED RITUAL

PISCO IN THE WORLD

SHARED RITUAL

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In 2005 Peru registered the Denomination of Origin with the World Intellectual Property Organization - WIPO. On October 30, 2013, in Brussels, the European Commission granted Peru the registration of 'Pisco' as a geographical indication. The following characteristics are essential for Pisco to comply with the regulations of the Designation of Origin:

Geographical and origin conditions.
Customs and tradition.
Must: freshly fermented.
Process: direct and discontinuous distillation

Central fraction (body or heart): With an alcoholic content by volume of between 40 and 50° (%vol)
Preservation: 3 months minimum.

Pisco must meet the following requirements:

APPEARANCE Colorless, clear, clean and bright.

NOSE Clean, elegant and distinguished aromas, with fruity, floral and citrus notes.

PALATE Warm, structured and balanced, fresh and with great personality and persistence.

PISCO IN THE WORLD AND AWARDS

PISCO IN THE WORLD

SHARED RITUAL

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PISCO IN THE WORLD

SHARED RITUAL

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PISCO IN THE WORLD

46,2%

Of Pisco exports (2018)

There are currently about 40 brands of Pisco around the world.

PISCO IN THE WORLD AND AWARDS

PISCO IN THE WORLD

SHARED RITUAL

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PISCO IN THE WORLD

SHARED RITUAL

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Acknowledgments

Pisco has won numerous awards in international events such as Vinalies International (France), Les Citadelles du Vin (France), Selection Mondiales dex Spiritueux (Canada), The International Wine & Spirits Competition (England), CINVE (Spain), among others:

Total awards per country

2021

USA

1 6 5

France

2

England

1 3

2020

Brussels

4 10 1

Spain

4 5 1

USA

1 2

France

3 1

England

1 1

Portugal

3 4 2

2019

Brussels

3 5 1

USA

1 2 1 1

France

2

England

1

2018

Brussels

4 4

Spain

8 4 2

USA

1 2 2

France

4 1

England

2

2017

China

5

Spain

12 2 1 1

USA

2 7

2016

Brussels

7 6 1

China

7 6

USA

12 6 1 1

France

2 7

2015

Brussels

9 7 1

Canada

8 2

Chile

9 7 1

Spain

2 3 2 1

USA

4 6 1

France

1 3

Israel

1 3 1

2014

Argentina

2 2 1

Brussels

5 6 3

Canada

4 6

USA

4 3 1

France

4 6

2013

China

1 2 1

France

1 3 6

England

1 4 1

2012

Spain

2 2 1 1

USA

2

France

3 1

2011

Brussels

4 6

Canada

1

Spain

2 1

France

7 5

England

1 1 2

2010

Brussels

3 4

France

2

England

1 1 2

2009

Brussels

11 4

France

3 6 3

2008

Brussels

9 2 1

France

6 2

2007

Argentina

1 1

Brussels

7 7 1

France

6 1 2

PISCO PRODUCTION

HISTORY

DENOMINATION

MILESTONES

PRODUCTION

ATTRIBUTES

SOURCES

PRODUCTION

HISTORY

DENOMINATION

MILESTONES

PRODUCTION

ATTRIBUTES

SOURCES

Pisco is a fine grape distillate that requires between 6 and 7 kilos to obtain one liter, and contains no other ingredient than freshly fermented must from pisco grapes from our coasts (See Pisco Route). The result: a product made with passion and which delights the palate and the heart of the world.

SOURCES

HISTORY

DENOMINATION

MILESTONES

PRODUCTION

ATTRIBUTES

SOURCES

HISTORY

DENOMINATION

MILESTONES

PRODUCTION

ATTRIBUTES

SOURCES

National Pisco Commission - CONAPISCO (https://conapisco.org.pe/)
"Pisco is Peru" Catalog, by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (MINCETUR) and the Commission for the Promotion of Peru for Exports and Tourism (PROMPERU).
Pisco Spirit of Peru infographic, by the Commission for the Promotion of Peru for Exports and Tourism (PROMPERU).
The Guide on Pisco", by Lucero Villagarcía.
Pisco Spirit of Peru Manual, by the Commission for the Promotion of Peru for Exports and Tourism (PROMPERU)
"Pisco is Peru" by Mariella Balbi, published by the Commission for the Promotion of Peru for Exports and Tourism (PROMPERU)"

HISTORY OF PISCO

HISTORY

DENOMINATION

MILESTONES

PRODUCTION

ATTRIBUTES

SOURCES

HISTORY

DENOMINATION

MILESTONES

PRODUCTION

ATTRIBUTES

SOURCES

Grapes arrive

Everything began with the 1522 Royal Ordinance: "All ships leaving for the New World must carry grapevines;” that's how grapes arrived in America from Spain. Early accounts of the conquest are testimony to the origin of the vine in Peru. Pedro Cieza de León claimed to have seen vines in Peru in 1547, when he was advancing from the north towards Lima on Pedro de La Gasca's expedition.

At the end of the 16th century, Garcilaso de la Vega, in his Royal Commentaries, explains how the Toledan Caravantes sent someone to Spain for vines due to a shortage of wine; and the Jesuit Bernabé Cobo indicated that Lima was the first place vines were planted, giving credit to Hernando de Montenegro for introducing grapes, as he planted the vine and obtained grapes in 1551.

Wine is produced

Wine production therefore began in the 16th century. Father Cobo mentions the production of white wine in Nazca. Stating: "In the Nazca valleys they've been treading grapes for a few years now, placing them in sacks, which leaves the wine much purer and clearer and whiter, making each pitcher four reales more expensive."

And the naturalist Joseph de Acosta, who arrived in Peru in 1572 and stayed for 14 years, describes early wine production in Peru in his Natural and Moral History of the Indies, published in Spain in 1590. According to Acosta, the wine from Peru was "abundant and good"; indicating that the quality responded to the geography and nature of the coast and the use of pre-Hispanic techniques for adequate cultivation.

A brandy called pisco is born

Pisco is a port on Peru’s central coast (250 km south of Lima) from which the liquor produced in the valleys of Ica, Pisco and Chincha was shipped, and it was therefore called "Aguardiente de Pisco". This is where the name of our distillate originates.

The town and port of Pisco was recorded on the first map of the South American coast by cartographer Diego Méndez in 1574. Its name was given by Pachacutec in reference to the birds of the area which he called “Piscu”, meaning bird in Quechua. Pisco, as a place name, dates back to the Inca conquest of the coast around 1450.

The oldest record of the spirit from Ica and Pisco is in the will of Pedro Manuel, "El Griego", dated April 31, 1613, in Ica and discovered by historian Lorenzo Huertas. Here, Pedro Manuel, states that he had: “thirty burney jars full of aguardiente, equivalent to one hundred and sixty ‘botijuelas’ (big bottles) of aguardiente, plus a barrel full of aguardiente, equivalent to thirty ‘botijuelas’ of said aguardiente.”

Other records of Peru’s aguardiente date from the first third of the 17th century from the notes of Pedro de León Portocarrero, 'The Portuguese Jew', discovered and published by the Argentine historian Boleslao Lewin. In these he stated: "they make a lot of brandy in Peru and its very good."

Bernabé Cobo, in his History of the New World, also points out that, when he lived in Pisco around 1625, aguardiente was one of the products obtained from the vine.

Pisco conquers travelers

The name "pisco" for the liquor of the region of Ica and its port was registered by several travelers. William B. Stevenson in 1814, regarding his passage through the port of Pisco, said: "The aguardiente generally called pisco, named after the place where it is made, has a good flavor and is colorless.”

In 1815 Frenchman Julian Mellet detailed his impression of the commercial importance of the port of Pisco in his ‘Voyages dans l’intérieur de la Amerique meridionale’, also stating that the liquor was good and stronger than French cognac.

British clergyman Hugh Salvin visited the port of Pisco in 1825, writing in his diary: “This district is known for making a hard liquor that bears the name of the city.”

Pisco in the Republic

At this time, the fame of pisco continued to grow. Visitors give an account of the drink and its place of origin. Heinrich Witt, a German merchant who arrived in 1824, talks of the Quilca Valley (Arequipa) in his diary, alluding to drinking "wine, pisco and chicha," and, after visiting the town of Pisco, he wrote: "Pisco is the port of Ica, 14 leagues away, and from here all the country’s brandy or aguardiente produced and distilled there is exported. That is where the name pisco comes from, the word by which brandy is known throughout Peru.”

Swedish sailor Carl Johan Skogman visited Peru with the frigate "Eugenie" between 1851 and 1853, and on passing through Pisco, he said: “an aguardiente is produced there on a large scale, it is very well received all along the western coast and is simply known as pisco.”

As regards pisco production, the work of Peruvian landowner and businessman Domingo Elías stands out, who worked on developing and industrializing the agriculture behind the vine. His achievements caused admiration among travelers who came to Pisco at that time, among them Englishman Clemens Markham, who in 1853 visited Elías' wineries in Pisco, declaring after tasting aguardiente: "The best Italia is made of a large white grape and is delicious."

Currently

Despite a series of factors towards the end of the 19th century and start of the 20th century that weakened the winemaking industry, it recovered and now Peruvian companies produce pisco using the most modern technology and equipment, together with high-level specialists in production and marketing. Likewise, the South American country has small, artisanal wineries that are renowned for the quality of their pisco.

DISCOVER MORE:

Grapes arrive

Wine is produced

A brandy called pisco is born

Pisco conquers travelers

Pisco in the Republic

Currently

PISCO MILESTONES

HISTORY

DENOMINATION

MILESTONES

PRODUCTION

ATTRIBUTES

SOURCES

MILESTONES

HISTORY

DENOMINATION

MILESTONES

PRODUCTION

ATTRIBUTES

SOURCES

GRAPE VARIETIES AND PAIRING

PAIRING

VARIETIES

PAIRING

VARIETIES

Pisco is a drink that we can enjoy with different types of food. Depending on the pisco grape with which the distillate has been produced, there are various options, recommended by experts to enhance its flavor.

GRAPE VARIETIES AND PAIRING

PAIRING

VARIETIES

PAIRING

VARIETIES

GRAPE AND PISCO VARIETIES

Peru's biodiversity offers eight types of pisco grapes (aromatic and non-aromatic), with very precise qualities and a unique sensory profile.

AROMATIC

MOSCATEL

Of Mediterranean origin. Its berries are red, spherical in shape, and in conical bunches. It is characterized by a floral, citrus, fresh fruit aroma. In the mouth, it is possible to detect slightly spicy and aromatic herbs. It produces a sophisticated pisco.

ITALIA

From oval, large and yellow-green fruits. Its bunches are long, large and conical. It has a floral, citrus, fruity and raisin aroma. Its taste is fresh, sweet and intense. The pisco expresses pleasant and intense aromas.

ALBILLA

Of Spanish origin, from Extremadura, the Canary Islands and Galicia. Its berries are small, round, translucent, and greenish yellow in color. It has a unique bronze tone. Its bunches are large and conical in shape. With a fresh, delicate flavor of flowers and honey, it is smooth on the palate. It produces a delicate and light pisco.

TORONTEL

Of Spanish origin, they can be found in Andalusia and Galicia. They have a pale green skin, but the sun turns them a beautiful golden brown. Its bunches are long and conical. With very delicate, floral (lavender) aromas. It produces a sophisticated, well-structured pisco with delicate aromas.

NON AROMATIC

MOLLAR

It came from the Canary Islands and adapted to the southern soil conditions. Its berries are medium sized, round and pink. Its bunches are large and conical in shape. Fresh fruits and aromatic herbs; with citrus and sweet flavors. It produces a pisco with a lot of personality.

QUEBRANTA

An emblematic non-aromatic grape from Ica, which has mutated to achieve its current characteristics. Its berries are medium sized, round and pink. Its bunches are long and conical in shape. It has an aroma of nuts, and its flavors are sweet with an intense and complex palate. It produces a high yield.

UVINA

A traditional grape found in Lunahuaná, Pacarán and Zuñiga where it has been used for more than seventy years. Rounded berries, black in color and small in size. Its bunches have a cylindrical shape. Its fresh must has an intense dark red color, and tastes very sweet. On the nose, it reveals notes of fresh fruit, as well as honey and white raisins. It produces a very special pisco.

NEGRA CRIOLLA

Of Spanish origin, probably from the Canary Islands and Andalusia. Emblematic grapes from the Tacna and Moquegua valleys, which are medium in size, dark red-purple, well rounded, with conical bunches. It produces a dry and sweet pisco with nutty flavors.

CLASSIFICATION OF PISCO

Puro: a single
grape variety

Mosto Verde: from incompletely
fermented musts

Acholado: a mixture of two or more
varieties of pisco grapes

COCKTAILS

Pisco offers infinite possibilities with regard to sensations, aromas and flavors in cocktails, an industry that always seeks to renew its products and make them more sophisticate to attract people. Each variety of pisco and its nuances have different characteristics, with aromatic, fruity, floral, citrus or fresh herb notes.

PISCO ROUTES

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Regions

Ica1

Arequipa2

Moquegua3

Tacna4

Ruta del pisco - Ica

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DISTILLERY

BODEGA TABERNERO

BODEGA EL CATADOR

BODEGA TRES GENERACIONES

BODEGA LOVERA PEREZ

BODEGA EL CARMELO

BODEGA LA CARAVEDO

BODEGA TACAMA

BODEGA VISTA ALEGRE

BODEGA SOTELO

BODEGA SAN ISIDRO

VIÑAS QUEIROLO

VIÑAS DE ORO

VIÑA VIEJA

OCUCAJE

SAN NICOLÁS

DON LUIS

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Ruta del pisco - Arequipa Sur

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ROUTES

SOUTH

CENTER

DISTILLERY

BODEGA VIÑA LUZMILA

BODEGA VIÑA LA JOYA

BODEGA ZEGARRA E HIJOS

BODEGA SOCAVÓN

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Ruta del pisco - Arequipa Centro

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ROUTES

SOUTH

CENTER

DISTILLERY

ESTREMADOYRO

BODEGA DON BERLY

BODEGA LA BARRERA

BODEGA YAÑEZ

BODEGA VIEJA HERENCIA

BODEGA REINOSO

BODEGA VIÑA DEL OCHO

BODEGA LUQUE VASQUEZ

BODEGA DE PITIS

BODEGA SANTO DOMINGO

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Ruta del pisco - Moquegua

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DISTILLERY

BODEGA ATENCIO

BODEGA BIONDI

BODEGA CAMILO VALDIVIA

BODEGA EL MOCHO

BODEGA RAYITO DE SOL

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Ruta del pisco - Tacna

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DISTILLERY

BODEGA SANTA ELENA

BODEGA DON MIGUEL

BODEGA TACNA

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NEWS

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NEWS

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A RITUAL
OF WE
SHARE

ATTRIBUTES OF PISCO

BIODIVERSITY

QUALITY

HISTORY

CULTURE

VERSATILITY

DISTILLERIES DIRECTORY

FIND
THE BEST
DISTILLERIES

PISCO DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN

PISCO IN THE WORLD AND AWARDS

PISCO IN THE WORLD AND AWARDS

PISCO IN THE WORLD AND AWARDS

PISCO PRODUCTION

SOURCES

HISTORY OF PISCO

PISCO MILESTONES

GRAPE VARIETIES AND PAIRING

GRAPE VARIETIES AND PAIRING

COCKTAILS

PISCO ROUTES

Ruta del pisco - Ica

Ruta del pisco - Arequipa Sur

Ruta del pisco - Arequipa Centro

Ruta del pisco - Moquegua

Ruta del pisco - Tacna

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