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Pisco / Feature Articles

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the XVI Pisco Festival and the XIII Concurso Nacional de Pisco held in the Vértice del Museo de la Nación in San Borja. While similar in design to Mistura, (the food festival which was held just a few weeks ago), the fair was comprised of various booths, in which many pisco products were displayed.

It was a fantastic experience passing through the maze of booths, checking out the seemingly endless varieties of pisco, and, of course, testing the products from all over Peru. The festival showcased not only the best piscos in Lima, but also the best piscos from around Peru. Lunahuaná, Ica, and of course, Pisco, were well represented at the fair, but there were also stands exhibiting products Arequipa, Tacna and other parts of Peru.

The best part of the festival was the opportunity to try all the different varieties of pisco, and hear the explanations about the products by the different venders. My favorite was “pisco puro macerado en ciruelas,” or plums that have been soaked in pisco. The plums gave the pisco the slightest sweet flavor, and eliminated the harsh burning that happens deep in your throat when you drink pure pisco.

Another great variety was produced by the Ica bodega “El Catador.” They combined milk and pisco to form a very smooth drink, similar to that of Baileys. While their products are not sold in Lima, it is not an excessively long trip to visit their pisco production in Ica. They run a typical, “artesanal” production of pisco, and they also offer tours and taste-testing in their local as well.

The festival also showcased various bartending techniques, original cocktails (my favorite being “Limonada del Diablo,” which was made of pisco soaked in aji peppers, and served in the style of a Pisco Sour), various pisco competitions, a session of scoring and ranking of the various products, and many informational booths on Pisco. 

Most importantly, I learned a lot about pisco at the festival. While I would in no way call myself an expert, I am certainly glad that I can speak with a little more authority on pisco after attending the fair. In the making of pisco, there are eight different types of grapes, some of which are aromatic and others which are not. The aromatic ones, obviously, are known for their sweet smell, which also lends a unique taste to the pisco. There are four varieties of Pisco, which are made up of various combinations of the aromatic and “quebranta” (non-aromatic) grapes. The four varieties are Pisco Puro, Pisco Aromático, Pisco Mosto Verde, and Pisco Acholado.

The grapes that make up pisco are harvested only once a year, from the months January to March. In Ica, especially, the warm climate increases the concentration of sugar within the grape. That is why pisco can only be grown in certain areas of Peru.

By attending the festival, I opened my eyes, once again, to the beauty, the variety, and the innovation that Peru has to offer the world. And, with shouts of “El Pisco es Peruano,” I left the festival content and impressed with my new knowledge about yet another Peruvian wonder.