Moquegua

A 1570 order for 54 large earthen wine jars offers an early glimpse of grape growing in Moquegua's valley. Spanish colonists planted vines, and the local grape economy included both wine and aguardiente, a distilled grape spirit. Archaeologists have identified 130 winery and processing sites in the valley, with areas for pressing, fermenting and storing wine. Large clay jars called tinajas held wine in storage, while smaller jars called botijas carried it to the mining regions of Alto Peru, now Bolivia. By 1701, Moquegua was making aguardiente later known as pisco. Its pisco-making knowledge and techniques form part of Peru's recognised cultural heritage. Today, the region makes dry and semi-dry wines, along with piscos and macerated spirits.