Sobre el pisco ENG – Compañia Pisquera de Chile

About

pisco

Pisco is the most popular spirit in Chile. It is made exclusively in the Atacama (Huasco and Copiapó Valleys) and Coquimbo (Elqui, Limarí and Choapa Valleys) Regions in the north of Chile.

The base of all piscos is wine fermented from the 7 Muscat grape varieties that are grown in northern Chile, as well as wine from the Torontel and Pedro Jiménez varieties. These wines are distilled in copper stills to produce extremely pure and high ABV alcohols.

Depending on the style, piscos can produce a vast range of aromas and flavors. Likewise, when the base alcohol is aged in oak barrels, it takes on toasted notes and hints of spice and dried fruits. But there are also piscos that have no contact with wood. These piscos are transparent and retain the aromatic characteristics of the grapes, with notes of citrus, flowers, and dry grass. Both types of pisco are produced to the very highest quality in Chile.

Pisco Clasification

Pisco classification is based on its alcohol by volume (ABV) The ABV of a spirit is determined by diluting the pure alcohol produced by the still with the purest waters.

PISCO
TRADICIONAL

PISCO
ESPECIAL

PISCO
RESERVADO

GRAN
PISCO

Pisco Style

TRANSPARENTE

This is pisco that has not been stored or aged in wood and expresses only the characteristics of the grapes from which it was fermented and distilled.

GUARDA

This is pisco that has been aged in wood for less than a year.

ENVEJECIDO

This is pisco that has been aged in wood for over one year.
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ARTESANALES

These are piscos whose production processes have been handed down through the generations.

Protected Denominación

of Origin

In 1931, President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo established regulations distinguishing pisco from all the other distillates produced in Chile at the time.
In turn, on 15 May 1931, the first Protected Denomination of Origin law in Chile and the Americas was passed. The law stipulates that the word “pisco” can only be used to identify spirits produced in five Chilean valleys: the Copiapó and Huasco Valleys in the Atacama Region, and the Elqui, Limarí, and Choapa Valleys in the Coquimbo Region.

These valleys all share three fundamental characteristics. First, they receive more than 300 days of sunlight each year. Second, they are fed by the waters of the Norte Chico’s basins, which trickle through their dry, rocky soils to produce unique aromas in the pisco grapes. And finally, they undergo an extreme temperature oscillation from day to night, which helps concentrate the aromatic characteristics of the grapes.
Chile’s protected denomination of origin for pisco delimits the cultivation of grapes and the production of our noble spirit in areas of outstanding beauty and conditions that are found nowhere else on the planet. All this means that each glass of pisco or pisco-based cocktail becomes a truly unique experience.

The History

of pisco

The roots of Chilean pisco stretch back to the time of the Spanish conquestt and run up to the present day when pisco is the most iconic drink in the country.

1549

The first vineyards are planted in the Elqui Valley, aided by the unique characteristics of the land, water, and climate in the region.

1492

With the arrival of Pedro de Valdivia and the Spanish retinue to Chile, the culture of winemaking follows shortly after.

1880

Pisco is formally written into existence as a distilled spirit with registration of the first brands “Pisco G” and “Pisco Italia”.

1931

The Protected Denomination of Origin law is passed in Chile (the first of its kind in the Americas), delimiting the country’s pisco-producing areas.

1933

The Control Pisquero cooperative is founded. This is the oldest pisco cooperative in Chile and was created by farmers and distillery workers in the Elqui Valley.

2005

The Control Pisquero cooperative and Pisconor S.A. merge to form the market-leading company known today as Compañía Pisquera de Chile S.A.

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The Pisco

production process

Pisco production is an artisanal and painstaking process that begins with the selection of grapes that are then fermented and distilled. The resulting distillate, renowned for its quality, is characterized by purity and unique flavors and is born of centuries of history and tradition.

Grape Harvest

Grapes are harvested between February and May at the vast vineyards in Chile’s Atacama and Coquimbo Regions. Muscat, Torontel, and Pedro Jiménez grapes are picked by hand or with machines and taken to storage facilities.

Reception and

maceration

At the storage facilities, grapes are selected, crushed, and pressed to extract their must. The juice is then deposited in stainless steel tanks where it is filtered favoring aroma extraction

Fermentation

Once the solid waste is removed, yeasts are added to the juice to induce a controlled fermentation. This process is carried out at relatively low temperatures so as to preserve the distinctive aromas and flavors of the grapes that will eventually produce a very high-quality alcohol.

Destillation

Distillation is the process that characterizes pisco. The wine is poured into a copper vat where it is slowly heated to 78°C, at which point the alcohol begins to evaporate and separate from the rest of the liquid in the wine. The alcohol vapors condense (through cooling) and become liquid again. It is during this process that piscos distinctive aromatic characteristics begin to emerge.

Ageing and

bottling

Before the pisco is bottled, with , the alcohol obtained through distillation is aged for at least 60 days. The final result can be wildly diverse and very unique.
In steel tanks (clear piscos) and aged in oak barrels (aged and aged piscos).

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