Tasting three Piscos
Cocktail Magazine edition No. 41, grateful for the opportunity.
One of the activities that tasters carry out for wineries is to evaluate their Piscos. They send us their samples, we taste them and provide our opinion as
consumers and judges, without giving a score. We leave that for regional & national contests. Our opinion is hedonistic and subjective (remember that in contests, seven tasters per table evaluate and score).
Recently, we received samples from a small winery in Santa Cruz de Flores, one of the 16 districts in the province of Cañete. It's located south of Lima, at an altitude of 85 meters above sea level. Its climate is 100% humid between June & August. In the summer, there is 60% humidity, with a temperature ranging from 24° to 30° C. In winter, it ranges from 16° to 20° C. The soils are stony, loamy, well-draining, and excellent for planting vines, especially the Italia, Albilla & Quebranta varieties. The latter adapts very well to any soil. In front of me are three samples: a 2019 Quebranta made from producer grapes, a 2020 Acholado (Blended), and a 2020 Italia (Italy) made from grapes acquired in the area. All are 42° vol/alc.
We start with the Quebranta. In sight: it's clear, colorless & bright. First smell: alcohol. On the second, fresh sensations of herbs & memories of citrus. Citrus in a Quebranta? Let's keep going. White fruit, quince, apple, raisins. On palate, the entry is warm with generous alcohol. Astringency reminiscent of quince, apple, raisins. Medium-long persistence. Final notes of lime. Remember that Acholado is a blend of Pisco grapes, fresh musts, fermented musts, & finished Piscos. The master distiller decides which formula to use. In this case, according to the information provided, it's an Acholado (Blended), of Quebranta & Italia Piscos. On sight: clear, colorless & bright. First smell: fresh, with citrus sensations of lime, herbs, hay, memories of the vineyard, lemon verbena, white fruit, pear. On palate: warm, fresh, lightly spicy, generous alcohol, citrus memories of lime, grapefruit, sweet astringency. Long persistence. Final notes of lime peel.
We finish with the Italia (Italy): always clear, colorless & bright, with good tears in the glass, dense, indicating the presence of glycerol and alcohol. Clean aromas on the nose, memories of white flowers, geraniums, citrus, lime, lemon verbena, apple, raisins. Warm entry on palate, with generous alcohol, memories of lime peel, astringency, raisins, lemon verbena. Long persistence. Final notes of citrus peel. My final comments on the three samples: I liked the Acholado (Blended), with its marked typicity. Balanced, round. Then the Italia (Italy), my favorite variety (I prefer the more aromatic ones): elegant, balanced, subtle. The Quebranta was a Pisco without defects. The citrus sensation in aromas & taste didn't convince me. Otherwise, it was a lovely experience. Thank you very much for the opportunity. Enjoy pisco responsibly.
By Livio Pastorino Wagner
Sommelier, Specialist, and Pisco Taster
Registration: CRDO-PISCO 2020 RCO-034-2011
@elmagozurdo
Cocktail Magazine No. 41, june 03, 2021
Cocktail magazine (spanish) in issuu
Pisco & music
Junio 2021
Where pisco is the only protagonist!
#lapiscoteca #piscosour #winelover #pisco #pasionporlacata #bar #elpiscoesdelperu #vino #vinosdelperu #pisco #piscolover #Lima #Peru #Moquegua #Tacna #Arequipa #Ica
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