Following the Footsteps of Pisco
Placeres Magazine, Edition No 03, grateful for the opportunity.
Every time I read "Artisanal Pisco" on a label, I'm transported back to the moment when I participated in the Vendimia festival. We were about to harvest our first Pisco grapes grown in the Villacuri valley 40 km before Ica city. Since the market price didn't cover the production costs, we decided to make Pisco. We took our Quebranta grapes to a winery located in Guadalupe, the capital of the Salas district, 7 kilometers before reaching Ica. It was a small winery with a "falca (pot still)," "lagar (where grapes are crushed or pressed)" and "pultaya (where the liquid settles)", surrounded by clay jars with packed floors and no electricity, but otherwise, it was impeccable. Truth be told, I felt like I had traveled back to the 17th century. It seemed like the years hadn't passed. Everything needed to make our national distilled spirit was there, in what they call "The Office."
In my case, I was a spectator. The work began by throwing the grapes into the "lagar," a rectangular (sometimes circular) pool where the grapes were trodden. The treaders entered in crews, with owners, family, and friends participating alongside the workers. Once the treading was finished, the lagar was filled with must, and the gate leading to the "pultaya" was opened; a smaller rectangular pool next to the lagar where the must settled, leaving behind some grape skins, seeds, and branches. From that moment on, the fermentation process began, not without first offering us a "Chinguirito" (a mix of fresh must with Pisco).
In old wineries, the entire system of transferring the must to the fermenters was done by gravity. In this winery, they used the "mule or wooden donkey," a tool consisting of two parallel wooden sticks joined by two smaller sticks in a vertical position forming a square in the center, allowing two men to carry the clay jars to the mouth of the pultaya gate. Once filled, they were taken to the fermentation area. After this stage, all the grape skins, branches, and seeds left in the lagar were gathered and formed into a square called "cheese." The huarango press was then used to squeeze out every last drop of juice. A week after the start of fermentation, we were offered the popular "Cachina," which translates to fresh must. Delicious. The process continues for another 12 or 14 days until fermentation is complete. The master distiller must monitor this natural process daily to prevent any difficulties.
Finally, the must was sent by gravity to the "falca (pot still)" to begin the distillation process. According to the D.O. Regulation, Pisco is a product obtained exclusively by distillation of freshly fermented musts from Pisco grapes. This could be considered "Artisanal Pisco," although there is no such category in the current Pisco Denomination of Origin Regulation. I am sure that good times are coming for Pisco. Enjoy it responsibly.
By Livio Pastorino Wagner
Sommelier, Specialist, and Pisco Taster
Registration: CRDO-PISCO 2020 RCO-034-2011
@elmagozurdo
Placeres Magazine, No. 03 may 05, 2024
Pisco & music
May 2024
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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