"The gas chromatograph is a kind of electronic nose that detects hundreds of aromatic substances, but it detects them from a chemical point of view, by their structure. Of course, it will never have the sensitivity of the human nose. It can detect very small quantities, but a gas chromatograph will never be moved by the aroma of a pisco or wine."
On the Various Meanings and Ancestral Origin of the Name Pisco
Some years later, between 1838 and 1842, during the tumultuous period of the Peru-Bolivian
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Confederation, Johann Jacob von Tschudi visited Peru. Born in 1818 in Switzerland, he was descended from a distinguished family of intellectuals, politicians, and scientists; a medical doctor by profession, he had also studied natural sciences and philosophy. He arrived aboard the sailboat Edmond in August 1838. He witnessed political upheavals caused by chaos and administrative disorganization in a country that was just beginning its republican life. Tschudi explored the Coast, Sierra, and Jungle, and as a result of his observations, he published the book "Testimony of Peru" (1838-1842), in which he refers to the southern region of Ica, stating that "... it is a fairly large city, very well located. Like most coastal cities, it is populated by inhabitants of all colors and mixtures of races.
In the surrounding haciendas, almost exclusively grapevines are cultivated, which account for the great prosperity of the province. It is striking how easily the grapevine grows in this apparently arid land. It is enough to plant the stakes, about half a foot into the ground, tie them, and leave them to their fate; they quickly take root and grow leaves. And while the entire region has the characteristics of a desert, the vineyards are lush green. The grapes are of excellent quality, very juicy and sweet. Most of them are distilled into aguardiente, which, as you can imagine, is exquisite. All of Peru and a large part of Chile are supplied with this beverage from the Ica Valley. Common aguardiente is called Pisco aguardiente because it is shipped from this port. A finer quality, much more expensive, distilled from Muscat grapes, is called Italia aguardiente. It has a very fine characteristic bouquet. In some haciendas, they make thick, dark, very sweet wine, which is very pleasing to Peruvians but not to European palates."
In another part of "Testimony of Peru," Tschudi points out: "The aguardiente exported by sea is filled into clay jugs waterproofed with tar. They have a pear shape, with the base facing upward and a small opening, which is tightly sealed with plaster after the vessel is filled. The large jugs, when filled, weigh 6 to 7 arrobas (150 to 175 pounds). Two of them constitute a mule's load. In the pack saddle, two baskets are placed in which the jugs are stood upright to transport the aguardiente through the mountains, but they often break due to the ruggedness of the roads. Now, leather goat skins have become widespread for transport across the mountains."
Between 1876 and 1888, the German doctor Ernst Middendorf traveled extensively throughout Peru, dedicated to completing an extensive study of the history, traditional culture, and social reality of the country. As part of his significant observations, Middendorf offers a detailed account of how Pisco was obtained in the southern coast. In 1885, he visited the Quintana family's hacienda in Ica, where he was able to witness the process of making sugar and grape brandy. From that experience came the following description: "At the top of the rocky eminence, at the foot of which the sugar mill wheel is fixed, there are facilities for pressing grapes. They consist of a round, masonry tank, 50 feet in diameter, with a brick floor joined with clay. In this container, about 5 feet high, the grapes are placed, and to crush them, 8 to 10 horses and mules are made to run in a circle, tied with a sturdy rope to a post in the center. The juice runs through a masonry channel into fermentation jugs, where it remains for 14 days and, once fermented, is distilled.
Around the large round container where the grapes are crushed, there are rectangular containers, also made of masonry and paved with bricks, in which the crushed grapes are pressed to extract the rest of the juice." Middendorf, a keen observer, adds: "The press mechanism is very primitive; it consists only of a large round disk made of wooden planks, pressed by thick beams and a rough wooden screw. The juice extracted in this way flows through stone channels into a general receptacle. If the fermenting juice is distilled before all the sugar has been transformed into alcohol, a finer aguardiente is obtained, called "mosto verde," which has a softer, sweeter, and more aromatic flavor than the aguardiente prepared with completely fermented must, but it is much more expensive, as it requires three times the amount of must. Once the aguardiente is distilled, it is filled into the curious jugs called Pisco, a name that probably comes from the port where they are usually shipped for export."
To be continued...
Crónicas y Relaciones Que se Refieren al Origen y Virtudes del Pisco
Bebida Tradicional y Patrimonio del Perú
Banco Latino 1990
Lima Perú
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