George & Eve DeLange

The wine industry in Peru has actually been around far longer than most people realize. Wine grapes were first introduced to Peru by the Spanish conquistador Marquis Francisco de Caravantes who visited there during the sixteenth century. Ever since then, Peruvians have been working on perfecting their wine growing techniques. Today, wine makers in province of Ica are producing some very good wines. Peruvians know this well and now the rest of the world is finding out too. Peruvian Wine Culture The city of Ica lies within the province of Ica, which is the center of Peruvian wine culture. This is the area where wine grapes were first introduced and many smaller wineries still make use of ancient techniques to produce wines. The province of Ica is known as an area of sand, sea and oases. Despite its hot and dry climate, Ica is actually a perfect place to grow wine grapes. The fields are thoroughly irrigated with water from the Andes and virtually any crop in the world can grow here. Peru's best wineries are located here and are referred to as "bodegas" which actually means "wineries". All Peruvian wineries are prefixed with this word; Bodega Tacama, Bodega Ocucaje, etc. In some ways, Ica (the province) is not just the cradle of Peru's wine culture but of Peru as a whole. Saints and medicine men are a part of everyday life and this is also where the best Pisco brandy is distilled. Pisco has attained a certain degree of world fame and is considered to be Peru's national drink. It would be very hard to find a Peruvian winery that doesn't make Pisco alongside their wines. The name "pisco", has three origins: means a Quechua word that translated to English means "bird". The mud container was called "botija", meaning where pisco was deposited. Grapes are crushed and pressed. Then, the grape pressings are transferred to botijas where fermentation begins. Eight days later, the famous "cachina" is ready. During the third week the must is distilled in stills or alembics. The result is a unequaled Pure Peruvian Pisco, unique in the world. The botija was a practical container that used in the production of pisco and then to transport and keep it. In the botija the grape juice was fermented. Afterwards the pisco is stored in botijas. When the botijas are empty they stowed them face down, until being used again in the next vintage. Pisco was initially made from 'Quebranta' grapes, a local non aromatic variety of the black grape brought from Spain, that gives it a very particular and characteristic flavour. This drink is known as 'Pure Pisco' and is also obtained from the distillation of other non-aromatic selected grapes, such as 'Mollar' and 'Negra Corriente'. There is also an 'Aromatic Pisco' obtained from the distillation of aromatic Muscat grapes such as 'Italia', 'Moscatel', 'Torontel' and 'Albilla'. A third type is the 'Acholado', obtained from the mixture of aromatic and non-aromatic grapes. Finally, you can find the 'Mosto Verde', which is distilled from unfermented grape juice. Tacama Pisco is made by distilling fresh grape juice (grape "must") into grape brandy following traditional production methods strictly dictated by Peruvian law. There are only six zones which produce it in the country: Ica, Arequipa, Moquegua and the valleys of Locumba, Sama and Caplina. The grapes used in many Pisco�s or grape brandies are of the Moscatel family � particulary those Piscos produced in Chile. The Peruvians, however, in search of a richer, more complex flavour select other grape varieties. Most commonly used is the Quebranta (indigenous to Peru) and in lesser quantities, Negra Corriente and Mollar. The Peruvian distillation process differs too in that copper vats are employed and distillation occurs in single batches only � in much the same way as Single Malt Whisky is produced. Cheaper grape brandies use the more economical continuous process which tends to reduce the delicacy and aroma of the spirit. Tacama Pisco contains no additives and water is never added during production. We stopped in the City of Ica and toured the Pisco brewery and distillary, named Tacama Vineyards. The photos below are of that visit. We visited Ica and the Tacama Vineyards on March 15, 2011 at about 10:54 AM. This page is for information purposes only and while we have made every effort to be accurate, it is the travelers responsibility to make the appropriate choice as to which hotels to use in Peru. We found that when touring Peru, Magical Cusco Tours gave us the best service of all. They even arranged very personal tours based upon our ages and experience. They were there for us whenever we needed them. Click on any of their links on our pages and they will give you a 4% discount for taking their package tours. Mention delange.org. Merchant Code Inka2010 for your discount! We suggest letting Ana Maria handle your tour. Note: The 4% discount applies to package tours only! Discount does not apply to hotel bookings, domestic or international tickets, meals or any other service booked as a single activity. Magical Cusco Tours also has a culinary tour that you may enjoy.Click Here For: Taste Of Peru.com their culinary tour page. We also have links to Priceline.Com on our pages, in case you may prefer to use their services.