Piuchiu, the Pre-Columbian Peruvian Distillate

Pisco came to existence after King Philip IV prohibited the importation of Peruvian wine in Spain in 1641, forcing locals to distill their fermented grape juice into clear brandy. In “Pisco: its Name, its History”, Gonzalo Gutiérrez highlights how pisco production increased after this restriction. According to Gutiérrez, the Jesuit Order was largely responsible for the significant brandy production in Peru, especially in Pisco and Nazca (51). Since that time, our favorite distilled spirit has become one of Peru’s most significant cultural symbols.

However, while the Jesuits and colonizers are responsible for pisco’s growth, distillation existed long before the arrival of foreigners to Peru. According to T. Fairley in The Early History of Distillation, Peruvians were distilling native materials before colonization. He states: “In the 16th century, the Spaniards found the Peruvians using an apparatus of this kind…It is probable that the Peruvians used this apparatus long before the date of the Spanish conquest. ”(560).  The image below depicts the still described by Fairley (561):

pre columbian still, peru distillation

So what were native Peruvians distilling with this fascinating contraption? According to Fairley, piuchiu was the spirit of choice, made from fermented corn or yuca (known as chicha). Chicha is heavily consumed in Peru, especially in the Andes, where chicherías provide locals with endless supplies of the tangy corn ferment. A red plastic bag tied to a stick marks the entrance of a chichería, typically inside someone’s adobe home.

While fermented chicha is ubiquitous now, oddly you won’t find piuchiu in Peru. Somehow this distilling custom went out of practice. So how was piuchiu made? After fermenting the corn or yuca, the native Peruvians placed the fermented liquor, “into a deep earthen pot, having a hole in the side near the top, through which passes a wooden gutter of the form shown, connecting the receiver. Over the top a pan, filled with cold water and luted to the pot with clay, is placed. This acts as the condenser and the spirit flows along the groove into the bottle or receiver” (561).

piuchiu, distillation peru, pisco history Chart depicting ancient distilled spirits in various countries. Maize and manioc were the fermented base used to make Puichiu.

Another more rudimentary variation of a still was documented by Édouard Charton and illustrated by Édouard Riou in Le Tour Du Monde: Nouveau Journal Des Voyages. As seen below, the fermented liquid was boiled in a ceramic urn. Sheepskins were then hung over the boiling pot to catch the vapors. Once wet, the sheepskins were wrung out to extract the alcohol as it accumulated.

 

Ancient distillation Peru

In summary, while colonizers should receive credit for widespread distillation in Peru’s pisco-making history, T. Fairley’s research demonstrates Peruvians were distilling native ingredients before their arrival. In the end, this information is further proof of Peru’s diverse history, culture and delightful culinary portfolio.

 

 

Works Consulted:

Charton, Edouard, 1807-1890. Le Tour Du Monde: Nouveau Journal Des Voyages. Paris: Libraire de L. Hachette,

Fairley, T. The Early History of Distillation. Harrison and Sons, 1907.

Gutiérrez, Gonzalo. Pisco: Its Name, Its History. Editorial Académica Española, 2020.

English Translation of Revelatory Research about Pisco by Ambassador Gutiérrez Reinel is released

Press Release

 

“The Misleading Name of Pisco Elqui” Provides Irrefutable Evidence of the Peruvian Origins of Pisco

Meg McFarland announces the release of the English translation of the article “The Misleading Name of Pisco Elqui”. This comprehensive work by Ambassador Gonzalo Gutiérrez Reinel covers the Peruvian origins of pisco and the change of name of a town in Chile in the 1930s. Its aim is to increase awareness of the historical background and cultural diversity of pisco from Peru, “I am delighted to present this work in English about the origins of pisco to the international community, not only to clarify misconceptions, but also to spread the word about the rich history and cultural heritage of Peru’s national beverage”, said Gutiérrez.

By analyzing various geographical, cartographic, legal and historical documents, “The Misleading Name of Pisco Elqui”, refutes controversial claims made about the origins of pisco by Chilean historians. Gutiérrez confirms that the town of “La Unión”, the supposed sociocultural hub of the so-called Chilean pisco culture, was swiftly renamed to “Pisco-Elqui” in 1936 to circumvent regulations on the use of geographical names to designate spirits in the US. “The findings corroborate that the name change of the town “La Unión” was not a response to a sociocultural evolution, as stated by various researchers, but rather to a mala fide trade scheme. On the other hand, the word “pisco” existed in Peru for many years before the arrival of the Europeans to America in the XV century, undergoing an etymological transformation from the word “bird” to eventually refer to the clear spirit”, said the renowned pisco researcher.

The Ambassador has produced many articles on the historical and cultural significance of pisco from Peru, but this announcement marks the first release of a version in English. “It was an honor to work side by side with Ambassador Gutiérrez on this translation project of the most epochal range and quality,” says Meg McFarland, translator of “The Misleading Name of Pisco Elqui”. She continues, “Providing this valuable information in English will help reach a greater pool of readers about the origins and history of pisco”.

The article can be found at the following link:

Pisco Certificate Course-Misleading Name of Pisco Elqui

Misleading Name of Pisco Elqui

 

About Ambassador Gutiérrez Reinel

Gonzalo Gutierrez is the current ambassador of Peru in Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union. He has also been the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Peru and the Peruvian Ambassador in China and for the United Nations. For a long time he has researched and published about the historical and evidence of the Peruvian origins of pisco. He will soon release a book in English on the subject.

 

About Pisco

Pisco from Peru is the oldest grape brandy of the Americas. Distilled in the tradition of ancestral firewater (eau-de-vie, brandy), pisco is a clear, unaged spirit made from 100% grapes. According to the IWSC (International Wine and Spirits Competition), pisco is one of the 5 biggest spirits trends in the world, as seen in the rising popularity of the spirit in the 2019 competition.

All the Peruvian Pisco Grapes- Quebranta, Italia and 6 Others

The 4 aromatic pisco grapes are Albilla, Torontel, Italia and Moscatel. The 4 non-aromatic grapes are Quebranta, Uvina, Mollar and Negra Criolla. But before we explore each variety, first let’s talk about the 2 categories of pisco grapes: aromatic and non-aromatic. While the latter categorization might imply that some piscos lack aromas, it should be clarified that all varieties of Peruvian pisco have very expressive aromas. This often creates confusion for people not familiar with Peruvian pisco. They understandably expect a “non-aromatic” pisco to not have any aromas.

All the Peruvian pisco grapes have highly aromatic qualities because of production methods required by the Denomination of Origin in Peru. First, the single distillation method helps bring out the unique aromatic profile of each grape variety. Then, resting in neutral casks enhances aromas while preserving the pisco’s original identity. This is different than spirits that age in barrels whose flavors and aromas are altered by wood. Please watch the video below for more information.

 

 

What do Acholado, Pisco Puro and Mosto Verde Mean?

In lesson 2, you will learn about the differences between the 3 types of piscos: pisco puro, pisco acholado & mosto verde. What differentiates one type of pisco from another depends on the grapes, not in the varieties used to make them, but in the way they are used.

Pisco puro is made from one grape. For example, Quebranta is a grape used to make Peruvian pisco, just like Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are grapes used to make wine. So, pisco puro de quebranta is a pisco made from just one variety, the quebranta grape.

Acholado means blend. An acholado can be made from a blend of grapes or a blend of piscos, which means a distiller can combine the grapes before distillation or the piscos after distillation. In the case of PiscoLogía, our master distiller Nati blends Italia and Quebranta piscos before bottling. This allows her to create the perfect formula in each batch once the flavors and aromas have melded during the resting phase.

Finally, a mosto verde pisco is made from musts that aren’t fully fermented, such that the yeasts haven’t completely converted all of the sugars from the grape juice into wine. This results in mosto verdes having a more silky texture and are more aromatic.

 

 

 

Pisco Certificate Course and & PiscoLogia- What is Pisco?

In lesson 1 of the Pisco Certificate Course, you will learn about the pisco-making process from grapes to glass, the ABV levels permitted by the D.O. in Peru and how many grapes are in a bottle of pisco.

The rich history of pisco shows in the traditions performed throughout the entire production process, starting with agricultural and spiritual practices in the vineyards and ending when the pisco is consumed. Harvest of pisco grapes happens in Fall in Peru, typically in March or April. The ripe berries are plucked from the vines, giving the master distiller the raw materials needed to craft the perfect batch. The grapes are destemmed and crushed and maceration may or may not occur. With the help of yeasts, the sugar converts the grape juice to alcohol and the juice becomes wine, ready for distillation. Once distillation has converted the wine to pisco, the brandy must rest a minimum of 3 months in neutral vessels such as stainless steel or fiberglass. This makes pisco completely transparent and unaltered, allowing you to fully appreciate the original identity of the spirit. After resting, it can be bottled and is ready for consumption.

 

 

How to Make Vegan Pisco Sour with Kami Kenna!

As a bartender, Kami has made cocktails to meet all types of dietary needs and preferences. In order to accommodate vegans and consumers iffy on eggs in their drinks, it was necessary to perfect a vegan pisco sour recipe. The purpose of the egg is to add texture and to dry out the cocktail. Whether or not you are vegan, or just turned off by raw eggs, you will learn how to ditch the egg and make an equally tasty and textured cocktail! Learn how to make a vegan pisco sour in this video!

 

Pairing Pisco with Chuncho Chocolate

pisco flavor wheel, pisco tasting wheel

Because Peruvian pisco is made from wine and it is so aromatic and flavorful, it pairs especially well with food. In this post, we have chosen a quintessential Peruvian food, Chuncho chocolate, and combined it with pisco to show you what a perfect harmony of food and drink looks like and tastes like.

Chuncho is a variety of theobroma cacao and is considered to be the “center of origin” for all cacao flavors and aromas, with flavors like mandarin, soursop, peach, banana, and jasmine. Chuncho hails from La Convención in Cusco, Peru – precisely where Machu Picchu is located.

Fascinatingly, it is suspected that the cacao pods manifested attractive aromas to allure consumer animals and to ensure repeat consumers it had to deliver a flavorful pulp. This occurred to facilitate seed dispersal and the continuation of the plant. Pre-Inca and the Incas alike consumed the flavorful pulp and only slightly roasted the beans. In fact, Chuncho farmers to this day still do.

Since the flavors in the pulp are imparted to the beans and ultimately to the finished chocolate, the long-standing selection process of the Chuncho cacao variety makes it one of the most prized.

Out of 40 flavors and aromas identified in Chuncho cacao, twenty nine of them mimic those of known fruit and flower or spice species such as: mandarin, soursop, custard apple, cranberry, peach, banana, inga, mango, nut, mint, cinnamon, jasmine, rose and lily.

If you look at the pisco flavor wheel in the image above, the flavor and aroma crossover with pisco is uncanny. Based on the shared flavors and aromas, it is very clear that this would be an exciting pairing to make. While chocolate made from Chuncho cacao may be exclusive and hard to find, any high quality chocolate will be suitable to carry out the pairing.

The flavors and aromas of pisco are fruity and flowery, mainly due to the presence of terpenes, esters, and aldehydes that come from the varieties of grapes used in the wine production and are also produced during the fermentation and the distillation processes. In pisco, forty-two olfactory attributes have been detected, highlighting the complexity of the product.

Channeling back to the tasting lesson, taste the chocolate and the pisco slowly and studiously. We recommend you alternate a small bite of chocolate with a small sip of pisco, taking care to give your palette and brain ample time to formulate an analysis. When pairing with food, there are times when the distillate is enhanced due to the pairing and there are times when it is not. The takeaway is the analysis and what you have learned about both of the tasting specimens individually and together – even if the pairing is a fail.

Because pisco is an unaged spirit with seemingly infinite variations from the grape, the growing year, the producer, and production methods, pairing food with pisco can be such an adventure. Pairing is yet another tool to add to your arsenal of studying the spirit.

We hope you can use the culmination of your experience with Peruvian pisco to experiment with pairing, try pairing it with some of your favorite dishes!

Myth #11- Quebranta is the strongest and most flavorful of all pisco grapes

This is the 11th in a series mythbusters to clarify misconceptions about Peruvian pisco!

quebranta, pisco, pisco grapes, quebranta most flavorful

 

Quebranta is indeed a very flavorful variety, but so are the other 7 Peruvian pisco grapes.

 

Let’s first address the idea that the Quebranta grape is the strongest of all the Peruvian pisco grapes. This statement brings up a lot of questions, such as: What does “strength” refer to? Does it refer to the strength of the flavor of the Quebranta grape? Or perhaps it refers to the robustness of the Quebranta plant? Or maybe this is a misconception of the alcoholic strength of the final product?

The Quebranta plant is Peru’s only indigenous vitis vinifera variety and it has indeed adapted very well to the climate and soils in Peru. However, from a standpoint of durability or longevity, the Negra Criolla (Listán Prieto) variety was the first to be planted in Peru sometime between 1539 and 1541. Therefore, because Negra Criolla has been around for longer in Peru, it would technically win the contest of longevity.

Furthermore, potency of the alcohols in a pisco depend not on the grape type, but on the sugar levels of the grapes used in fermentation. We all know that a pisco can have a maximum ABV of 48%. You can have pisco at 48% ABV made from any of the 8 grapes allowed in the production of Peruvian pisco, not just Quebranta. To reach the desired sugar levels, and therefore the desired alcohol levels of the final product, vintners will aim to reach around 23-26 Brix before harvesting. This measurement is taken with a refractometer. Then finally, proper distillation methods also help regulate the alcohol content.

Second, it is difficult to defend or refute the notion that Quebranta is the most flavorful grape because the concept of taste is very subjective. What may seem flavorful to one person could be bland to another. It would require years of qualitative research and surveying to determine which grape is the most flavorful.

Making scientific measurements of flavor requires the implementation of complicated processes. Techniques such as solvent extraction and headspace methods would be required to identify and qualify methoxypyrazines and non-volatile, glycosylated conjugates of volatile molecules in grapes, among many other elements. Then to analyze, one would need to conduct gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Furthermore, soil, climate and traditions also greatly impact flavor expression, regardless of the grape variety. All of those factors would need to be studied and compared before making a general statement about the flavor of Quebranta grapes.

Put simply, the most flavorful pisco grapes are the ones that have been tended to carefully throughout the year and the whole production process. Those grapes are most flavorful when they are recently harvested and have the desired Brix levels. Needless to say, it is a very weak argument to say that the Quebranta grape is the strongest and most flavorful grape without any data or research to back it up. In our opinion, all the Peruvian pisco grapes are strong, flavorful and so unique that they should each be appreciated as such.

 

Sources:

Williams, P. J., and M. S. Allen. “The Analysis of Flavouring Compounds in Grapes.” SpringerLink, Springer-Verlag, Berlin,    Heidelberg, 1 Jan. 1996, link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-79660-9_3.

Myth #10- Singani= High-Altitude Brandy & Peruvian Pisco= Low Altitude Brandy

This is the 10th in a series mythbusters to clarify misconceptions about Peruvian pisco!

pisco vs singani

While it’s true that signani is associated with high altitudes, Peruvian pisco can be produced at altitudes as high as 2,000 meters (6,562 feet).

 

We presented many differences between Peruvian pisco and singani in a past blog post. However, we wanted to elaborate on the subject of altitude. Singani is most often associated with high altitudes, as it must be produced at 5,250 feet or higher from grapes grown at those elevations. While that classification is well deserved for Bolivia’s clear brandy, it is important to note that Peruvian pisco is not necessarily a low altitude brandy.

Peruvian pisco is associated with lower altitudes, more specifically, coastal valleys. The D.O. in Perú requires that pisco be produced at 6,562 feet or lower from grapes grown at those elevations. Keep in mind that the concept of altitude is quite different in the Andean region. While Peruvians consider 6,562 feet to be fairly low, in the U.S., that is a relatively high elevation. For example, Denver, known as the “Mile High City”, has an elevation of 5,280 feet! There are Peruvian piscos made at altitudes higher than Denver in the D.O of Arequipa in the Caraveli Valley, which is located at 5,837 feet.

So the next time you hear the misconception that Peruvian pisco is a low altitude brandy, you can clarify. Yes, it can be made on the coast of Peru, but you will also find pisco vineyards and distilleries way high in the Andes mountains at 5,837, an altitude that is significantly higher than the famed “Mile High City”!

 

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