- Pisco is also a city in the Ica Department of Peru
Pisco is the name used for two different varieties of brandy distilled from grape produced in certain regions of Peru and Chile. A spirit using that name was first produced in the 16th century in the Province of Pisco (Peru), and later introduced in other regions and countries. It is served straight or as a cocktail.
Varieties
Peruvian Pisco
Peruvian pisco is made mostly from Quebranta or Italia grapes. Peruvian regulations do not allow the addition of any substance during distillation. Based on the production process involved, it is further classified as:
- Pure Pisco, made from a single variety of grape (no blending allowed).
- Green Must Pisco, distilled from partially fermented and fresh must.
- Pisco Acholado, blended from the must of several varieties of grape, it is stronger and has higher proof.
The types of grape permitted are:
- Fragrant: Albila, Italia, Muscat or Torontel.
- Non fragrant: Mollar, Common Black, Quebranta or Uvina.
Chilean Pisco
Chilean Pisco is mainly produced with Muscat grapes in the Atacama and Coquimbo regions of Chile. Unlike Peruvian pisco, Chilean producers may add demineralized water in order to regulate the proof of the finished product. This practice has greatly increased the popularity of pisco in Chile, as lower proof spirits are produced at a much lower cost than "pure" pisco.
Etymology
The origins of the word pisco can be traced to pre-colonial Peru. In the quechua language, the birds that inhabited the valleys of the Ica Department were called pisco, pisku, phishgo, pichiu or pisccu.
The valley that was later to be named Pisco was settled at least two millennia ago by people that developed a great mastery of pottery. During the Inca Empire they were to become known as piskos. One of the main products they provided were the containers used to store beverages. These containers were also to known as piskos. The first grape brandy to be produced was stored in piskos, and as time went by, the beverage came to be known by the name given to its container.
History
The first vineyards in the Viceroyalty of Peru were planted in the fertile costal valleys of Peru shortly after the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadores. The Marquis Francisco de Caravantes was the first to import grapes, bringing them from the Canary Islands in 1553. Even though Spain imposed many restrictions on wine production and commerce, the wine-making industry developed rapidly, mainly in the Corregimiento of Ica.
The oldest written historical record of grape brandy production in Peru dates to 1613. It is the will of a resident of Ica named Pedro Manuel the Greek. In it he itemizes his wordly goods, including 30 containers of grape brandy, one barrel of the same spirit, a large copper pot and all of the utensils needed to produce Pisco.
Pisco production grew rapidly, and the Pacific Ocean port also called Pisco prospered due to increased exports to all of the Spanish Colonies.
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