In the land of Pisco... The "aguapié".

Posted in Cocktail magazine edition No. 04 december 2015

Some time ago we were on a trip with the tasters group of Noches de Cata to several Pisco regions, but the big surprise happened in Moquegua. We had been asked to do a guided tasting at the Moquegua Club that's is in main square. When we were all seated ready to start the event, one of the pisco producers asked us what we thought... "in Moquegua water was added to the pisco, because the grapes are harvested with a high sugar content due to the Moquegua climate, which makes it impossible to reach the alcohol content, therefore the producer told us that water is added to the pisco".  (According to the 2011 Regulations of the Denomination of Origin Pisco, not allowed to add water, the Vol. has to be  from 38º to 48º), We were surprised by this statement, as we had not been told that this was happening in Moquegua.

In all this confusion I remembered an experience in the nineties. I was in a winery in Guadalupe 7 km from Ica distilling with *Don Miguel Jhong Aquije (son of Toribio Jhong, owner of Hacienda La Esperanza), the grapes were harvested from Villacuri estate.

On the first day of the grape stomping, doing with groups of 4 men in turn, we finished at 6

p.m. and proceeded to fill the "botijas" (clay jars),  with the grape juice, in the press we left what they called "the cheese", (a mass in the shape of a square with the pomace and branches). The stompers themselves put this together and then lowered the huarango press, extracting the last juice of the grapes. Don Miguel tells me that the cheese (marc, branches) was then spread in the lagar, (rectangular cement deposit), press and water was added to leave it until the next day, I was astonished "How? water? It can't be! Pisco is not made with water..." to which Miguel replied "Livio, it is not going to work, it is not business" he told me, "besides your grapes have a high concentration of sugar because of the Villacuri desert, it is the climatic conditions that help us, you will see that tomorrow once the water is added, the juice will have enough degrees (17º brix approx) to start the fermentation, leave it to me..." he told me and that's how it was. In Ica, they call this "aguapié". Take care, drink responsabily.

Till next time!

Livio Pastorino Wagner
Sommelier, Pisco Specialist & Taster
Taster Register CRDO-Pisco 2020 No. RCO-034-2011
@elmagozurdo

From:*Cronología de la Producción del Vino y del Pisco / Lorenzo Huertas Vallejos page 228

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Pisco & music

December 2015

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