More than 400 years "Los Mojoneros". (The Tasters).
On Monday, June 20 at the Institute of Wine and Pisco "idvip" we presented the Peruvian Taster Association "ASPERCAT", established in July 2015, this association was born with the sole purpose of the development and improvement of the profession of Taster in Peru. And as in all these wine events, history was the protagonist.
"In addition to the Council and the Fiel Ejecutor, there was the "Mojonero", which was the name given to the Taster, a job regulated by Viceroy García Hurtado de Mendoza, Márquez de Cañete (1595). The job of mojonero was endorsed years later by another Viceroy Mr. Luis de Velasco." (From: Cronología de la Producción de Vino y Pisco 1548 -2010 Lorenzo Huertas Vallejos).
Of course, the job of wine taster goes hand in hand with the elaboration of wine, often attributed to monks, friars who carried out this job with the interest of having wines suitable for the eucharist (mass). In Peru we were not exempt from having the "Mojoneros" (from spanish word "mojón": Stone post or any sign nailed in the ground that serves to mark the limit of a territory or a property, or to indicate the distances or the direction in a road). As we have been able to appreciate up to the moment the first data on the subject here in Peru, are from 1595.
But let us return to ASPERCAT, to be a Taster it is not only necessary to have a tasting methodology, or a diploma, take courses, to have tasted hundreds of wines and piscos, no gentlemen, for a Taster to be able to do his job correctly, has to be practicing constantly every month, every day, the Taster is not born, is made and with a lot of sacrifice, it's not a profession that allows us for the moment in Peru to live from it, that's why it's important to unite those who share the passion of tasting, this challenge to evaluate drinks & food. Those of us who practice it know that the more we taste, the more we learn, that's why it's necessary to have an organization that supports the practice and spreading of the tasting profession, in addition to regulating it. As ASPERCAT takes shape it will be strengthened and for this we all have to support it.
In the presentation I had to talk about tasting and its importance in the food & beverage production chain. While it's true that ASPERCAT is born on our experience in Pisco & Wines, this doesn't mean that we are not interested in including all those who work in this job, food Tasters and other beverages, we all need to practice tasting, we all learn together, that's the philosophy of ASPERCAT.
"Tasting a Wine consists of carefully tasting a product whose quality we want to appreciate; it's about submitting it to our senses and getting to know it by looking for its different defects and qualities, in order to express them; Tasting is studying, describing, defining, judging & classifying". By Emile Peynaud.
Emile Peynaud
Taking up Emile Peynaud's words, "A Taster in search of the ten (the best!) wine or pisco, is an artist in search of the best personal expression of his idea. A sort of accumulator of tasting experiences who transmits them to others with a social rather than individual attitude, to serve the helpless buyers". Enjoy pisco with responsibly.
By Livio Pastorino Wagner
Sommelier, Specialist, and Pisco Taster
Registration: CRDO-PISCO 2020 RCO-034-2011
@elmagozurdo
Cocktail Magazine No. 08 agosto 2016
Pisco & music
Cocktail Magazine edition No 08, grateful for the opportunity.
Cocktail magazine (spanish) in issuu
August 2016
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