CRONOLOGÍA DE LA PRODUCCIÓN DEL VINO Y EL PISCO: PERÚ 1548-2008

Lima: Universidad Ricardo Palma; Academia Peruana del Pisco, 2008. b/w and color plates, plans, tbls., bibliographical references (p.113-119), pict. wrps. OCLC: 423278967. Dr. Lorenzo Huertas Vallejos, historian, founding member and former president of the Academia Peruana del Pisco analyses the factors that produced the substantial change in the production of wine and brandy of grape known as Pisco, from the second half of the 18th century. According to current studies, during the first two centuries of Spanish presence until the mid-18th century, Peru had the primacy in the production of these two beverages in South America. From the second half of that century, this dynamism and apogee situation began to gradually reverse which continued throughout the 19th century until the first half of the 20th century. Wine borders in the Peru contracted, lowered production to such an extent that in the year 1900, the difference with Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, was abysmal. The reactivation of the production of both beverages in Peru is the main objective of this research pointing out and explaining the factors of this acceleration in the 1970’s. The study accounts not only for the claimed origins, development and dissemination of the Peruvian national drink, the pisco, spanning from the 16th century in the in Pisco, Ica, Palpa, San Juan de la Frontera de Huamanga (now Ayacucho) and Nazca, but it also provides information about wine production since the 18th century to the present day. The author also includes valuable information that highlight the economic importance of the areas dedicated to the cultivation of the grape, and the developing of wine and pisco.