Tasting Nights with Pisco
Placeres Magazine, edition No. 17, grateful for the opportunity
When historian Lorenzo Huertas told me about the "mojoneros" of the 16th century—experts in tasting wines and brandies—I was transported back to my childhood in Lima. I remembered those vacation trips with my parents and siblings, when we would ask about the "mojones" on the road—the numbered markers—and laugh saying, "You're the mojón!" Fond memories that, years later, took on a new meaning when I discovered that those mojoneros were the guardians of wine and pisco quality during the colonial era.
In his book Chronology of Wine and Pisco Production in Peru, 1548–2010, Lorenzo Huertas explains that the mojoneros, or "wine connoisseurs," were responsible for evaluating quality in each city of the viceroyalty. Eduardo Dargent, in Wine and Pisco in the History of Peru (2013), adds that in 1567, the Lima city council appointed Sebastián Ruyz as mojonero to taste wines and ensure their quality. In 1578, authorities took action against the sale of "poor-quality wine" in taverns, highlighting the vital role these tasters played in the colonial wine trade. In 1595, Viceroy García Hurtado de Mendoza established the first official tasting regulations, which were ratified in 1603 by Luis de Velasco. These rules required clear glass cups to verify that the wine was not altered or "tainted."
In the 1980s, I worked on an asparagus project in the pampas of Villacurí, Ica, which I took over in 1992. We grew asparagus and planted Quebranta grapes, producing pisco in a distillery in Guadalupe, Salas district, until 2000. Those years left a mark on me, but it was in 2007, alongside the late Walter Espinoza, that we tried to sell advertising for the website elpiscoesdelperu.com to the Wine and Pisco Institute (IDVIP) at the University of San Martín de Porres. The director, Soledad Marroquín, challenged us: "Half scholarship for the Pisco Specialist and Taster course, half in advertising... but you have to study." That's how my journey as a taster began.
At Noches de Cata (Tasting Nights), we meet twice a month on Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. for blind tastings, using samples that are wrapped with no visible labels. An assistant serves them in AFNOR glasses, on a white tablecloth under good lighting. We evaluate appearance, aromas, and flavors following international standards to ensure fair and objective scoring. At first, we used generic terms like "undesirable aromas" for defects, but we soon learned to be more precise, always with respect for the producers.
Each tasting ends with the thrill of discovering the bottles. We publish the results on our blog, including details such as the producer's name, the type of pisco, the grape variety, and the price, accompanied by photos of the bottles, the team, and the desserts we share. Although Noches de Cata was born from a shared passion, it was Lorenzo Huertas's book, published years later, that revealed the historical legacy of the mojoneros, inspiring the creation of the Peruvian Association of Tasters (ASPERCAT) in 2015. I am a founding member of this group, which seeks to professionalize tasting in Peru.
Initially, we worked with our own tasting sheet, scoring from 1 to 100. In 2009, we adopted the evaluation format of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV). In 2012, this system was implemented in national, regional, and district-level pisco competitions under the leadership of Jaime Marimón Pizarro at CRDO-Pisco. Thanks to the efforts of the late producer Guillermo Payet, these competitions earned the sponsorship of the OIV and have since appeared on its official website. Mastering the OIV sheet also allowed us to participate in international spirits competitions, strengthening pisco's prestige.
Noches de Cata is not just a ritual; it is a bridge between pisco's past and present. Like the mojoneros of 1567, we seek excellence in every glass, supporting producers and celebrating Peru's cultural heritage. Visit nochesdecata.blogspot.com or search "Noches de Cata con Pisco" on Google with the brand or grape variety you're interested in. Join our passion and drink responsibly!
By Livio Pastorino Wagner
Sommelier, Specialist, and Pisco Taster
Registration: CRDO-PISCO 2020 RCO-034-2011
@elmagozurdo
Placeres Magazine, No. 17 julio 10 del 2025
Pisco & music
Where pisco is the only protagonist!
#lapiscoteca #piscosour #winelover #pisco #pasionporlacata #bar #elpiscoesdelperu #vino #vinosdelperu #pisco #piscolover #Lima #Peru #Moquegua #Tacna #Arequipa #Ica #piscopunch #piscosour #piscotonic #capitan #chilcanodepisco
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