DE SU BURBUJA - Vitis Magazine

e
l pisco soUr, preparado y bebido en el perú,
tiene un sabor único, distinto, insuperable. y no
es sólo por el jugo de los norteños limones de
chulucanas, perfumados y de acidez moderada,
que armonizan de maravilla con el componente
principal de este trago, el pisco peruano. este
destilado, que poco a poco va encontrando su lugar en el mundo (hace
algunas semanas, por primera vez las exportaciones peruanas de pisco sobrepasaron
a las chilenas), tiene singulares características a las que bien
vale la pena darles una mirada antes de juzgarlo precipitadamente desde
una perspectiva nacionalista. además, su lugar de origen es uno de los
estupendos atractivos turísticos que tienen nuestros vecinos del norte, y
que todavía es un secreto bien guardado.
pero partamos por el principio. ¿qué es el pisco para los peruanos?
en palabras del director de la comisión peruana del pisco, Johnny
schuler, “pisco es el producto obtenido de la destilación de mostos frescos,
recientemente fermentados, de uvas pisqueras, elaborado en los valles costeños
de los departamentos de lima, ica, arequipa y moquegua, y en los
valles de samba, catrina y locumba del departamento de tacna”. su nombre
dice relación con un vocablo de origen quechua, en uso desde hace
miles de años, que no sólo tiene un significado bien específico –pajarillo o
avecilla–, sino que también denomina una región, un río y hasta una cultura
con siglos de existencia en la zona de donde proviene este destilado.
estando allí, uno entiende claramente por qué nuestros vecinos defienden
como propio el nombre de este destilado y su propiedad intelectual.
es más, en la región de pisco habitaba un grupo de alfareros descen-
on the perUvian
pisco trail
A quick glance at a map of Peru would suggest that
the pisco growing area made up of the departments
of Lima, Ica, Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna is very
widespread. In the practice, however, this is a wide
expanse of mostly desert land, sprinkled with a few
valleys especially apt for the production of pisco
grapes. A visit to the city of Ica and some of its
vineyards reveals why our northerly neighbors feel
the name and intellectual property of this distillate as
their own.
Pisco sour PrePared in the Peruvian style has a unique,
distinct, even unsurpassable flavor. This is partly the result
of using the fragrant and moderately acidic juice of lemons
grown in chulucanas, a perfect match for the main
ingredient of this drink: Peruvian pisco. Little by little, this
beverage has found a place of its own in the international
marketplace. in fact, a few weeks ago and for the first time
ever, Peruvian pisco exports outnumbered chilean ones. The
distillate offers singular characteristics worth investigating
from a neutral, non-nationalistic perspective. also, its place
of origin is one of the country’s great tourist attractions and a
well-kept secret.
Let us start at the beginning: What does pisco represent
for the Peruvian people?
Quoting the director of the Peruvian Pisco commission,
Johnny schuler, “pisco is the product of the distillation or
fresh, recently fermented must of pisco grapes, made in the
coastal valleys of the departments of Lima, ica, arequipa,
and Moquegua, and in the valleys of samba, catrina and
Locumba located in the department of Tacna. The name
seems to stem from an ancient quechua word meaning
specifically “little bird” that also refers to a region, a river
and even a centuries-old culture that developed in the
area where this distillate originated. a visit to the region
helps understand why our northerly neighbors defend the
distillate’s name and intellectual property as their own.
Moreover, the region of Pisco was the homeland of a
group of potters descending from the Paraca culture – called
Pishcos – who produced lovely amphoras that somehow
reminisce Greek earthen vessels. These same containers
were later on used to keep the product obtained from the
distillation of grapes, pisco, so the name came to designate
▼ Vitis Magazine l novieMbre 2008 l 49