From the land of Pisco... "The secrets of tasting"
Something that really fascinates me is sitting in front of a glass of Pisco and having to evaluate it. Even though in national contest we don't know where the Pisco in front of us comes from (blind tastings), we are told the grape variety and type of Pisco. Instantly, I'm transported to the moment when the master distiller starts his work, lighting the pot that will heat the fresh must until it boils, leading the vapors first to the capitel, then to the swan neck and on to the coil submerged in a pool of cold water where, through condensation, it will be received drop by drop on the other side, the head, body and tail. A chemical process where the human hand only directs this process, for it to develop smoothly. The harvesting, destemming, pressing, and fermentation stage has ended, and the presence of the master distiller, winemakers, engineers, and workers is essential to achieve a quality Pisco. If one of these processes fails, unfortunately, we won't achieve a good distillate.
When I'm invited to taste at a Pisco National Contest, the first thing I do is disconnect my phone. I'm at work, and I need the utmost concentration for each of the samples. Biases don't serve me, objectivity is what matters, honesty, and transparency. For example, I receive the first sample of Pisco, I perceive it to be clean on aromas according to the variety and strain, if it's correct, typical, give it 82 points, but... it's the first sample! What will come after, better than this sample or of lesser quality? We don't know, that's why it's essential before starting the tasting in a contest to warm up our senses, clear our minds, we can't evaluate if we're not calm, focused, all our senses in optimal conditions will serve us for a correct tasting.
We don't have much time to evaluate, they serve us the glass, we start the tasting with sight, aromas, and taste, we go back to a second tasting to make sure, although I'm not in favor of changing the initial perception (I try to stick with my first impression), that doesn't mean it's wrong to change, in fact, it has happened to me that I had to rectify myself, which leads to canceling the tasting card and returning to specify, "The man who has committed a mistake and doesn't correct it, commits another mistake even greater." Confucius.
As we taste over time, we accumulate experiences that we transmit without realizing it to others: students, tasters, sommeliers, bartenders, chefs, buyers, enthusiasts, friends, etc.
What tasting offers us is that experience, we create trends according to the Piscos we're evaluating, which are the best? That depends on which one we like the most, only by constantly tasting can we say this Pisco is the one I like the most, our job as tasters is not to affirm which is the best, our job is to evaluate if the Pisco is correct, free of defects, colorless, clean in appearance, clean aromas on the nose, is the variety represented? Is it typical, balanced, with good persistence? Then it will have a good score.
We can never say that there will be another Pisco like it, every year new Piscos from different harvests, new producers, winemakers, & master distillers will enter the market, that's why we believe that the constant organoleptic evaluation of our distillate is necessary. Enjoy pisco responsibly.
By Livio Pastorino Wagner
Sommelier, Specialist, and Pisco Taster
Registration: CRDO-PISCO 2020 RCO-034-2011
@elmagozurdo
Pisco & music
Cocktail Magazine No 10, december 20, 2016
Cocktail magazine (spanish) in issuu
December 2016
Since 2006 Spreading Pisco Culture to the world
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