This is an accepted version of this page
 A selection of popular Chilean piscos | |
| Type | distilled alcoholic beverage (Brandy) |
|---|---|
| Origin | Chile,Peru |
| Alcohol by volume | 33–50% |
| Color | clear or yellow |
| Ingredients | Water,grapes |
| Related products | Singani |
| Official name | Pisco |
| Type | Intangible |
| Criteria | Knowledge, skills and practices associated with traditional medicine and gastronomy, among others |
| Designated | 7 April 1988; 37 years ago (1988-04-07)[1] |
| Legal basis | R.J. Nº 179 |
Pisco is a colorless or yellowish-to-amber-coloredspirit[2] produced inwinemaking regions ofPeru[3] andChile.[4] Made bydistilling fermentedgrape juice into a high-proofspirit, it was developed by 16th-centurySpanish settlers as an alternative toorujo, apomace brandy that was being imported from Spain.[5] It had the advantages of being produced from abundant domestically grown fruit and reducing the volume of alcoholic beverages transported to remote locations.[6]
The oldest use of the wordpisco to denote Peruvianaguardiente dates from 1764.[7] The beverage may have acquired itsQuechua name from the Peruvian town ofPisco, once an important colonial port for the exportation of viticultural products,[8] which is located on the coast of Peru in the valley of Pisco, by theriver with the same name.[9] From there, "Aguardiente de Pisco" was exported to Europe, especially Spain, where the beverage's name was abbreviated to "Pisco".[10]
TheViennese newspaperWiener Zeitung in 1835 reported on the Peruvian spirit made fromItalia grapes:
A large quantity of a spirit known as Pisco de Italia, imported from Peru, was consumed in Chile. But since the import duties are so high, a similar grape with large oval berries has been used to produce a similar drink, which has almost completely displaced the Peruvian. [Ehemals wurde in Chile eine große Menge des unter dem NahmenPisco de Italia im Lande bekannten Branntweins verbraucht, der aus Peru kam; aber seitdem die Einfuhrzölle so hoch sind, hat man aus einer Art Traube mit großen ovalen Beeren ein ähnliches Getränk bereitet, welches das peruanische fast gänzlich verdrängt hat.]
— Wiener Zeitung, Saturday, 1 August 1835, page 1
In theMedical Lexikon of Robley Dunglison (1858) it is stated that, following observations of SwissJohann Jakob von Tschudi:
In Peru, the common brandy obtained from grapes is the Aguardiente de Pisco, so called because shipped at the port of Pisco.
— Medical Lexicon: A Dictionary of Medical Science, 1858, page 859
Chilean linguist Rodolfo Lenz said that the wordpisco was used all along the Pacific coast ofthe Americas fromArauco to Guatemala, and that the word would be of Quechua origin meaning "bird".[11]
This claim is disputed by Chilean linguist Mario Ferreccio Podesta, who supports the formerReal Academia Española etymology according to whichpisco was originally a word for a mud container.[11] However, the Real Academia Española later supported Lenz's theory, and underlines the Quechua origin.[11]
Other origins for the wordpisco have been explored, including aMapudungun etymology where "pishku" has been interpreted as "something boiled in a pot", which would relate to the concept of burned wine (Spanish:vino quemado).[12]
Unlike the land in most of theViceroyalty of New Spain, where only very few vineyards were established (mostly for the production ofsacramental wine), some locations in theViceroyalty of Peru were quite suitable for growing grape vines. By 1560, Peru was already producing wine for commerce; over time, a significant wine industry arose in the region.[13][14] It grew sufficiently strong and threatening to the Spanishmercantilist policies that in 1595 theSpanish Crown banned the establishment of new vineyards in the Americas to protect the exports of its native wine industry; however, this order was largely ignored.[14] As further protectionist measures, the Crown forbade exportation of Peruvian wine to Panama in 1614 and Guatemala in 1615.[14]
In 1572, Santa Maria Magdalena, a town in Peru, had a port by the namePisco. Pisco became a crucial route for distribution of an alcoholic beverage – aguardiente. Port of Pisco shortened the name to just Pisco, which was the name of the grape liqueur that was originated in the area.[15]
Distillation of the wine into pisco began in earnest around the turn of the 17th century, perhaps in response to these pressures.[14] Until the early 18th century, however, most aguardiente was still primarily used to fortify wine, in order to prevent its oxidation, rather than drunk on its own. This method of conservation corresponds with fortified wines that were shipped to Italy and Spain from other parts of the worlde.g., wines fromMadeira andMarsala.
In the 17th century, production and consumption of wine and pisco were stimulated by the mining activities inPotosí, by then the largest city in the New World.[14][16]
Historians state that the first grapes ever imported arrived in 1553. The production of pisco started at the end of the 16th century. After the process of fermentation and distillation the juice from the grapes was then made in to liquor. This juice was then stored in clay jars called piscos.[18]
The entire southern coast of Peru was struck by the1687 Peru earthquake, which destroyed the cities ofVilla de Pisco andIca.Wine cellars in the affected area collapsed and mud containers broke, causing the nation's wine-growing industry to collapse.[7][11]
In the early 18th century, wine production in Peru exceeded that of pisco. By 1764, pisco production dwarfed that of wine, representing 90% of the grape beverages prepared.[7] With thesuppression of the Society of Jesus in Spanish America,Jesuit vineyards were auctioned off, and new owners typically did not have the same expertise as the Jesuits – leading to a production decline.[7]
In the late 18th century the Spanish Crown allowed the production ofrum in Peru, which was cheaper and of lower quality than pisco.[7] In the 19th century demand for cotton in industrialized Europe caused many Peruvian winegrowers to shift away from vineyards to more lucrative cotton planting, contributing further to the decline of wine production and the pisco industry which depended on it.[11] This was particularly true during the time of theAmerican Civil War (1861–1865) when cotton prices skyrocketed due to theBlockade of the South and its cotton fields.[7]
Pisco was also popular in the US, inSan Francisco and nearby areas ofCalifornia since the 1830s, during theGold Rush, in the 1860s, and early to mid 1900s.[19][20]
There has been some controversy over whether Pisco originated in Chile or Peru. Both countries say that pisco is their national drink. Peru and Chile both rely on agricultural development for exportation. However, culture and history is what drives this dispute. Both countries want to show national spirit and have the right to call the centuries-old pisco their own.[21] There may never be a specific geographical designation when it comes to the branding of pisco. There will almost never be a label that says "Peruvian pisco" or "Chilean pisco" as there is a special agreement for protection of the beverage. This agreement prohibits many kinds of branding that suggest country names.[21]
Peruvian pisco must be made in the country's five official D.O. (Denomination of Origin) departments—Lima, Ica, Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna (only in the valleys of Locumba Locumba, Sama and Caplina)— established in 1991 by the government.
In Peru, pisco is produced only using copperpot stills, likesingle maltScotch whiskies, rather thancontinuous stills like mostvodkas. Unlike the Chilean variety, Peruvian pisco is never diluted after it is distilled and enters the bottle directly at its distillation strength.[22] The production of a regular Peruvian Pisco bottle requires 8 kilograms of grapes, and a Mosto Verde variety needs 12 kg.[23]
Many types of grapes were used to produce pisco, leading to a wide variation in flavor, aroma,viscosity and appearance of the liquor. This harmed attempts to export the product under a single denomination, resulting in numerous regulations setting a baseline for a product to carry the name. Four distinct types of pisco were thus designated:[24]
In 2008, Peruvian pisco exports 48 percent more than Chile compared to the year before that,[clarification needed] exceeding 1 million dollars,[25] although Chile produces about three times as much pisco as Peru.[26][3] Chile is also the top importer of pisco from Peru: 34% of the pisco produced in Peru is exported to Chile.[27] Annually, the pisco production in 2013 reached 30 million litres in Chile and 9.5 million litres in Peru.[26][dead link][3]
Peruvian pisco won over 20 gold medals and was named the best liquor of the world in the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2011.[28]
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Chilean pisco must be made in the country's two official D.O. (Denomination of Origin) regions—Atacama and Coquimbo—established in 1931 by the government.Most of it is produced with a "boutique" type of distillate. Other types are produced with double distillation in copper and other materials.
During the adaptation of many vineyards to pisco production, the most widespread grape was used as raw material, theMuscat, with some vineyards preferring theTorontel andPedro Jiménez varieties. As is the case with Peru, regulations for pisco designations have been enacted in Chile, including the following classifications:[citation needed]
Regulation for pisco production in Chile is quite high. Chilean distilleries are required to grow their own grapes and are grouped into two categories based in aromatic expressiveness: Muscat types (Pink Muscat, Muscat of Alexandria) are very fragrant, while Pedro Jiménez, Moscatel de Asturia and Torontel are more subtle.[29]
TheSpecial andReserve variations are very similar in flavor and color, both being subtly sweet and of a clear birch to transparent color. The flavor is much stronger than regular pisco with aromatic refreshing tones.
The processes of making pisco all come from the fermentation of specific grapes calledMuscat orItalia grapes. The grapes are then distilled in copper basins. However, before this, the grapes have to go through a process called grape-stomping. Grapes stomping usually occurs in the afternoon to avoid the dry heat on the coast of Peru. A group of men spread around the winepress and stomp on the grapes for about 6 intervals. During this process the men will enjoy their time as they sing, joke around, and have pisco punch. The grape juice then falls into a saturation basin called puntaya. Here the juice will sit for 24 hours. Later, the juices are restored in fermentation tubs. The fermentation process usually lasts 7 days. This is so the natural yeasts in the grape skin take in sugars and process it into alcohol. Usually, the pisco producers will control the temperature of the fermentation so the heat does not increase. Otherwise, the natural aroma of the grapes will evaporate and not give the pisco a certain characteristic that is crucial in high quality pisco. When the fermentation process is over, the pisco is distilled in large copper basins.[30]
Chile has taken steps to have a clean andenvironmentally friendly production of pisco. In order to crack down onpollution, and to increase competitiveness, the National Council for Clean Production agreed with the pisco producers and pisco grape agronomists to collaborate, signing an Agreement of Clean Production (APL).Capel, by itself invested more thanCL$ 800 million.[31]
Peru's production of pisco remains artisanal and does not alter the physical, chemical or organic properties before bottling. The pisco must be bottled directly after aging, without alteration or adding any product which could alter the odor, flavor or appearance.[citation needed]
The right to use anappellation of origin for pisco is hotly contested between Peru and Chile, though historians generally believe that pisco originated from Peru.[32]
Peru claims the exclusive right to use the term "pisco" only for products from Peru,[33] but they have not generally been able to persuade other countries to adopt that interpretation. Chile, in contrast, regards the term "pisco" as generic, and it argues the spirit is simply atype of alcoholic beverage made from grapes (as in the case of whisky and vodka). It cites the name being used to designate a similar grape brandy produced in both countries and maintains tworegions of Chile,Atacama andCoquimbo, that it authorizes to use the term.[citation needed]
Large-market countries (e.g., the European Union,[34][35] the United States,[4] France,[36][37] Italy,[36][38] Mexico,[36][39] Canada,[40][41] Australia,[42] etc.) generally allow products of both Peru and Chile to be identified as "pisco". TheEuropean Commission considers that pisco originates from Peru, but also allows the term to be used for products from Chile.[43]
Some of the most popular cocktails with pisco include:
Some examples of mixed drinks with pisco include:
Per capita consumption of pisco in Chile is 3 litres per year; an average of 18% of pisco production by value ispremium pisco.[50] Peruvian annual per capita consumption was reported in 2008 as 0.5 litres and growing (at the expense ofmarket shares forrum andwhisky, although whisky remains the most popularspirit in Peru).[51] 2014 reports mention also an increase of 3.5 million liters per year for the internal market.[52]
The top importer of Peruvian pisco is Chile, with an estimated import value of US$1.6 million in 2016. The United States is the second highest importer, with an estimated import value of US$1.4 million.[27]
