Arequipa

Arequipa has made wine and pisco for more than four centuries. Caravelí, Majes and Vítor are its principal pisco valleys. Negra Criolla is the main grape there, while Italia plays a smaller part alongside Moscatel, Albilla, Torontel, Quebranta, Mollar and Uvina. Pisco is a grape spirit distilled from freshly fermented grape juice. Older wineries used cut stone and large unglazed baked-clay jars for fermentation. The jars stood under a roof in two elevated rows to control temperature. Earthquakes, including the 2001 event that affected Moquegua, Arequipa and Tacna, damaged many wineries. Renovations kept their traditional functions and land use. Majes Valley, in Castilla Province, preserves grape varieties introduced in the mid-sixteenth century. A survey across seven growing areas recorded 39 varieties under local names. Italia Negra is a local name for Muscat Hamburg, while Borgoña Majeña is a local name for Jacquez. This diversity has also made identification difficult.