Evaluating Piscos
Cocktail Magazine edition No. 39, grateful for the opportunity.
Two concepts that we often confuse are "tasting" & "sampling." Whereas the former is a technical analysis, the latter is more of a playful and educational experience for those who appreciate good spirits.
For this occasion, we will focus on tasting. We propose an exercise: first, pour yourself 50 ml of your favorite Pisco into a glass. As the first step, observe the distillate. It should be shiny, clear, transparent & colorless, without any particles in suspension, and we must also analyze its viscosity. A very fine string of small oily tears is presented at the top of the glass. These denote the presence of alcohol & glycerol. Next, we evaluate its density: very watery, watery, dense, semi-dense, and so on. According to the tasting sheet approved by the International Vine and Wine Organization (OIV), the maximum score in sight is ten points. Personally, I have never encountered a Pisco that didn't pass this stage, and I usually give the maximum score.
The next phase, which is the most important, is the sense of smell. First of all, we must emphasize that Pisco is a high-alcohol drink, and the Pisco Appelation of Origin Regulation indicates that Piscos are only produced between 38° and 48° vol/alc. (they are not found on the market below 40°). Bearing this in mind, we bring the distillate lightly to our nose. The first thing we perceive is the alcohol, and if we are not accustomed to it, the sensation will be one of rejection.
However, this doesn't prevent us from analyzing what we have perceived. We can determine if the product is spicy, aggressive, unpleasant, or if we notice a certain balance. Subsequently, in the second smell, we try to perceive the descriptors of each of the Pisco grapes. These can be: white fruits, tropical fruits, nuts, raisins, herbaceous, flowers, sweet, among others. The score, in this case, will be according to the judge's criteria. The maximum score achievable in the sense of smell is thirty points.
The third phase of our tasting is the sense of taste. For this, we take a sip and hold it in our palate for a few seconds. What we seek is the harmony between the sense of smell and the sense of taste, meaning that the nose sensations are present, as the more we perceive them, the better the Pisco. We must ask ourselves, "How does it enter?" and answer if it's warm, aggressive, spicy, bitter, sour, or if it's fresh. We must also discover if the alcohol is generous, oily, silky, if it has sweet, fruity, or spicy sensations. Once we swallow it, we go to what we call "persistence in the palate." How long does the taste remain after drinking? Count up to twenty. The longer the sensations take to disappear, the better the drink. We can also ask ourselves, "What do we perceive?" Bitterness? Is it unpleasant or pleasant? We can perceive spicy sensations that, for example, remind us of yellow chili peppers, and they don't necessarily have to be unpleasant. The same goes for citrus flavors, sensations of grapefruit or lime peel. What would be considered defective in taste, in this case, is a sensation of vinegar. According to the OIV sheet, the maximum score in this category is forty points.
At the end of this whole process, we will have harmony, a global judgment and a maximum of twenty points. This represents what we have perceived in terms of sight, smell (aromas), and taste (palate). It's the balance between alcohol and aromas, which would make for a rounded and exceptional pisco. And remember: enjoy pisco responsibly.
By Livio Pastorino Wagner
Sommelier, Specialist, and Pisco Taster
Registration: CRDO-PISCO 2020 RCO-034-2011
@elmagozurdo
Cocktail Magazine No. 39, april 02, 2021
Cocktail magazine (spanish) in issuu
Pisco & music
April 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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