Peru, Pisco Winery in Ica
Trip Start
Aug 27, 2008
1
13
38
Trip End
Oct 25, 2008
Ica,
Peru
Saturday, August 30, 2008
PERSONAL:
I really like Pisco Sour - dangerous stuff though! Pisco Sour is a cocktail made from pisco combined with lemon juice, egg white and sugar.
Its like vodka and comparable to Sambuca. It has an odor which is vaguely reminiscent of reeds. Its flavor is very smooth and almost non-alcoholic, which can be very deceptive, with the result that many first-time drinkers often drink to excess and can quickly become inebriated without noticing (yep including me!).
More info: http://www.piscoperu.com.au
Attractions:
Pisco winery and pisco sour
FACT:
Pisco is a clear fermented grape brandy produced in Peru and Chile. It can be sipped strait or is the basis of drinks such as the Pisco sour.
Grapes were first brought to Peru from the Canary Islands during the Spanish conquest in 1553. Pisco was considered a lesser beverage by the Spanish and not consumed by them unless they were poor or curious. The drink began to acquire consumers in the sailors that transported products between the colonies and Spain, who began to call it pisco, naming it after the port where it could be bought.
There is a long-standing debate in Peru and Chile as to the rightful owner of the "pisco" denomination.
Both nations have established decrees, laws, regulations, treaties, etc in order to protect their pisco product as the canonical pisco. On the one hand, Chile has concentrated on internal regulations, specifying from what a "pisco grape" is to what a "pisco bottle" is, in order to establish standardization among its products. This way, Chile started to trade and promote its product as Pisco. On the other hand, Peru has concentrated more in the artesanal and traditional production, started to focus on the international arena claiming for an Origin Denomination arguing that only Peruvian Pisco can be called Pisco and Chilean product is another type of spirit.
The Pisco in Peru is in superior quality and recognized internationally as the original. The attitude in drinking it falls somewhere between a fine wine and scotch. It can also be mixed by Peruvian connoisseurs with Amazonian plant extracts. It ranges in alcohol content from 76-96 proof.
The Pisco in Chile is often considered inferior quality than that in Peru, but is more widely produced and exported (producing 50 times more per year). They also make pre-made bottled Pisco drinks such as Pisco sours.
