|
Origins
The first vineyards in the Viceroyalty of Peru were planted in the fertile coastal 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 in Peru.
In the late 1530s, the Spanish began to plant and harvest grapes for wine in the southern regions of what is now Peru. Grapes were selected for their quality to produce wine of what today would be called "export quality", while those that did not measure up were discarded or given to the farmers to do as they please. It is in this context that small groups began to use these grapes to distill a brandy-like liquor from the discarded grapes, using similar techniques to those of Chicha production.
The oldest written historical record of grape brandy production in the Spanish colonies date back to Peru 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.
This was considered a lesser beverage by the Spanish and not consumed by them unless they were poor or simply curious. However, one vineyard owner decided to designate an area of his lands exclusively to this brandy (which did not yet have a name, although it is reported the Spanish called it "fire-wine").
The drink began to acquire consumers in the sailors that transported products between the colonies and Spain, who began to call it pisco, naming it after the port where it could be bought. The drink then became a favorite of sailors and workers who visited the port of Pisco, exalting it for its strong taste and ability to quickly affect the consumer. As trade from Peru to the world grew, so did the popularity of Pisco, until it almost equaled wine in quantity as an export.
In 1641, wine imports from Peru into Spain were banned, severely damaging the wine industry in the colony; only a few vineyards that did not have parallel wine and Pisco operations survived this change. Those that did began to concentrate on pisco production, nearly eliminating wine production in Peru.
Pisco was also briefly popular in San Francisco and nearby areas of California during the Gold Rush in the 19th century, to where it was introduced by Peruvian and Chilean miners.
Etymology
Piskos
The origins of the word pisco can be traced to the quechua language where the birds that inhabited the valleys of the Ica region in Peru were called pisco, pisku, phishgo, pichiu or pisccu (pisqu' in modern quechua alphabet).
The origins of the word Guacamayo can be traced to the quechua language meaning “Macaw”.
The valley that was later to be named Pisco was settled by people who, during the Inca Empire were to become known as piskos. One of the main products they provided were the containers used to store beverages. These containers were also 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.
Modern History
After the South American independence period, vineyards whose main product was Pisco were located solely in what was then Peru, due to geographical and political divisions left by the Spaniards. However, during the War of the Pacific, Peru was effectively defeated and became an occupied nation until the Treaty of Ancon in 1883, ceded the desertic area of Tarapaca to Chile; this desertic area was used to produce a Pisco adapting the Peruvian techniques. In the occupation years, the attempts by Chile to convert the people of the occupied territories to Chilean sentiments, combined with the constant uprisings by Peruvian nationalists led to a severe disruption in Pisco production in the entire Atacama region. It was not until several years later, in 1929, that definitive boundaries were established and the situation began to calm.
In the years between the 1880s and the 1940s, Pisco production was severely hampered in Peru due to the national reconstruction taking place and the widespread misery due to the destruction of the nation's production, military and political infrastructure; and in Chile because of the aforementioned instability in the region.
Peru
Pisco production began to expand once again the 1940s, thanks to economic and social stability in the country, mainly due to its copper and gold exports. Production ramped up and Peru began to export Pisco as a national product at that time, however, due to the nation's focus on raw materials exports, Pisco was not given much prominence. National sentiment began to flare up in the 1960s when Chile decided to ban all imports of any product denominated "Pisco" coming from Peru. From that time on, Peru has been constantly trying to enforce the denomination of "Pisco" as a Peruvian-only product, beginning at first with internal rules and regulations pertaining to the harvesting of grapes, distillation and storage requirements for a product to be named "Pisco", and finally establishing trademarks and other legal processes. Peru won an application presented to the international registration in the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization), according to the Lisbon Agreement (23 countries parties). After one year from the date of receipt the application, the protection of the appellation of origin takes effect, in the countries parties of Lisbon Union that have not denied it, as from the date of international registration [1]. Thus, there are 23 countries that officially recognize the Peruvian Pisco as the only product with the right to have that name.
Dispute
There is an ongoing debate between Peru and Chile as to the rightful owner of the "Pisco" denomination, as it can be clearly seen by the specifications listed above, there is a difference between the products. Peru claims propietorship on the basis of historical arguments, mainly that Pisco originated in Peru and is still made in the traditional way only in Peru, where the regulations ensure this, many also push the argument that Chile simply "stole" Pisco production from Peru during the War of the Pacific and, therefore, cannot claim it as a national product. Chile also claims that its larger production and marketing efforts have popularized Pisco, and that what the some countries recognize as Pisco today is the Chilean variety.
Both nations have established decrees, laws, regulations, treaties, etc. in order to protect their pisco product as the canonical Pisco, though their efforts have been markedly opposite. Chile has concentrated on internal regulations, specifying from what a "Pisco Grape" is to what a "Pisco Bottle" is, in order to establish standardization among its products. Peru, on the other hand, has focused on the international arena, preferring to establish trademarks and treaties with other nations in order to cement its status as a purely Peruvian product; though years after Chile standardized everything relating to Pisco internally, Peru has begun to do the same, with a application for international registration of an appellation of origin "Pisco" as a Peruvian product, in the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization). But the legal fight still goes on.
Chile actions
· 1873 national decree, which opens a register to track national producers and trademarks for Pisco.
· 1916 - 1954: Chilean Pisco is exempt from all taxes imposed on alcoholic beverages.
· 1931: Law Decree 181 defines Pisco as distilled wine brandy produced in Regions III & IV
· 1936: Law Decree 5.798 changes the name of "La Unión" to "Pisco Elqui" to associate it with Pisco production.
· 1954 - 1974: Chilean Pisco is taxed at 50% the rate for all alcoholic beverages.
· 1974: Law Decree 826 establishes a 40% tax on national alcoholic beverages and a 90% tax on all imported alcoholic beverages.
· 1977; Law Decree 2.057 reduces the tax on Pisco to 25% and to 30% for all other alcoholic beverages.
· 1983: Tax on non-Pisco alcoholic beverages increased to 50%
· 1984: Tax on Whisked increased to 55%, all other alcoholic beverages except Pisco lowered to 30%, Pisco remains at 25%
· 1985: Law Decree 18.455 establishes Pisco as reserved to firewater produced and bottled, in consumable quantities, in Regions III and IV, elaborated by the distillation of geniune wine, originating from specified varietals, grown in said regions.
· 1986: Supreme Decree 78 establishes allowed additives, grape varieties and zones for production of firewater to be named "Pisco". It also designates the different varieties of Pisco according to alcoholic gradation. This also establishes that the 'only' difference between the varieties is the alcohol content.
· 1998: Creates a de facto monopoly by fusing the two largest pisco manufacturers, whose combined market share is 98%.
· 1997: Law Decree 19.534 establishes Pisco tax at 25%, Whisky at 70% and all other alcoholic beverages at 30%, imported alcoholic beverages add a 50% tax.
International
· 1999 - 2005: In a series of Trade Agreements, with European Union, USA, Mexico, Korea, Chile introduces text referring to "Chilean Pisco" as a national product of Chile, without predjudice to denominating any product from Peru as "Pisco".
Peru actions
· 1932: Supreme Resolution N° 52, restricts the use of the designation "grape based brandy".
· 1931: Makes it compulsory to serve Peruvian wines and liquors in official acts held in the Government House.
· 1940: Ministerial Resolution, prohibits the admission of cane brandy to the viticulture area of Pisco.
· 1941: Supreme Resolution N° 151, stipulates the restricted use of grape brandy and cognac.
· 1946: Supreme Resolution N° 1207, defines the designations of Pisco, Grape-based Aguardiente and others.
· 1947: Ministerial Resolution, ratifies the prohibitions regarding the use of sugar in manufacturing molasses, spirits, brandy and wine.
· 1950: Director’s Resolution N° 13, points out the date and terms for distillation of musts, watery wines and for washing spirits in the preparation process of grape based brandy.
· 1963: Sanitary Code of Foods in which PISCO is defined as the product obtained from the distillation of grape fermented musts.
· 1963: Law N° 14729, establishes a 4% tax rate upon the gross trade value of alcoholic beverages in Peru, exempting Pisco. This measure was taken as a means of fostering its preparation. This Law stipulates that this tax affects cane brandys, wine, spirits, beers and any kind of alcoholic beverage and similar, exempting Peruvian grapebased Pisco and Wine.
· 1964: Supreme Resolution N° 519-H, establishes the use of visible signs that make it easy for payment of taxes on the sale of alcoholic beverages.
· 1988: Resolution No. 179, issued by the National Institute of Culture where the word PISCO is declared National Cultural Heritage.
· 1990: Supreme Decree N° 023-90, stipulates that denominations of origin should be recognized by ITINTEC, thus including the above-mentioned principle in Peruvian Law.
· 1990: Director’s Resolution N° 072087-DIPI, issued by the Industrial Property Bureau, states that the designation of PISCO has a Peruvian origin and refers to products resulting from the distillation of wines derived from the fermentation of fresh grapes in the coastline of the Lima, Ica, Arequipa, Moquegua departments, and the valleys of Locumba, Sama and Caplina in the Tacna Department.
· 1991: Supreme Decree N° 001-91-ICTI/IND, officially recognized Pisco as a denomination of Peruvian origin for products obtained by distillation of wine derived from the fermentation of fresh grapes in the coastline of Lima, Ica, Arequipa, Moquegua and the valleys of Locumba, Sama and Caplina in the department of Tacna.
· 1995: Law N° 26426, regulates the production and commercialization of national alcoholic beverages.
· 2001: Supreme Resolution Nº 247-2001-Itinci, establishes the Multisectorial Committee in charge of preparing a regulatory proposal corresponding to the creation of Ruling Councils and the Ruling Council of the Denomination of Origin Pisco.
|
|