Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Investing US$10 million in five years is a good way to begin. The well know Queirolo Bodega decided to get involved in the national wine industry and so it acquired 400 hectares of land in different valleys of Ica (273 hectares) and Cañete (120 hectares), in which it planted several different types of grapes with which it will begin, within the first trimester of this year, to produce up to eight different types of wine.

With six types of red wine and two types of white wine, the well known bodega of the Old Magdalena fund (known today as Pueblo Libre) hopes to enter the international market and, once their brand is securely placed there, to compete with other manufacturers from Argentina and Chile, those best known in the region.

Similar proposals which have been developed within the same time frame have added themselves to this one, such as wine companies Tacama (with the brand Don Manuel), Vista Alegre (Picasso) and Ocucaje (Rubini) in the valley of Ica, as well as Tabernero in Chincha, which handles the Quinto Roble brand. The Queirolo Bodega manages the Shiraz brand.

General Manager, Santiago Queirolo remembers that in mid 2000 the family’s third generation members decided to begin renovating the bodega. They were assisted by renowned French enologists, Jacques Blouin and Edmundo Bordeu. They advised them after touring the valley of Ica and assessing it, to acquire land in the district of San Jose de los Molinos (located 25km from the city). 

“With the family’s hard effort the lands were acquired, two years later, the first 200 hectares were baptized as Viña San Jerónimo, located in an area exceptionally well suited for growing different types of grapes. It’s proximity to the Andes Mountains will give it thermal capabilities which are important when growing grapes. Those capabilities are complemented by the sunny desert climate and the water transferred from the Inca Achirana channel”, he explained.  

In 2003, with the assistance of the Mercier international botanical center, samples brought from France, the U.S. and Argentina began to be planted. Four years later the first viable crops for wine making were harvested which led the way for the making of a reserve of red and white wines.

Growth Phase

While this patient process of wine grape development  (Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Tannat, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Trebbiano Bianco and Petit Verdot) as well as Pisco grapes (Quebranta, Torontel and Moscatel), was carried out the group began, in 2004, the modernization of their production plant in Pachacamac, which meant installing 52 surgical steel tanks with a capacity to store approximately 50 thousand liters each and which allows them to insure the production of up to four million liters of wine and Pisco a year.

“After that, in 2007, the family acquired new oak barrels to develop the wine”, explained the enologist and sommelier for the company, Jorge Queirolo, who shares the elaborating, evaluating and selection duties with a team of specialists, among them Chilean Ernesto Jiusan.

As we can see, the expectation created from the increase in national wine production is seriously increasing.

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Only Tacama, Vista Alegre and Queirolo makes his wines with grapes from Ica Vineyards, so they are good peruvian wine makers; but Tabernero and Ocucaje buy all the grape from Argentina and Chile (look the peruvian wine imports ADUANET, Tabernero (Viña Lindero) and Ocucaje), this 2 last companys NO REPRESENT the good peruvian wine makers they are only wine importers, so they are ony very goods cheaters ....

Why don't you try to learn English grammar?

I dont think being nedative about someones ability  in english is apropreate here,why are you not tolerant and just appreciate someones efforts?

Thanks for the information, Jorge. Very good.