Basic HTML Version
grapes were first introduced to Peru
by the Spanish conquistador Marquis
Francisco de Caravantes who visited
there during the sixteenth century.
Ever since then, Peruvians have been
working on perfecting their wine
growing techniques. Today, wine
makers in province of Ica are produc-
ing some very good wines. Peruvians
know this well and now the rest of
the world is finding out too.
Peruvian Wine Culture
The city of Ica lies within the prov-
ince of Ica, which is the center of
Peruvian wine culture. This is the area
where wine grapes were first intro-
duced and many smaller wineries
still make use of ancient techniques to
produce wines.
The province of Ica is known as
an area of sand, sea and oases.
Despite its hot and dry climate, Ica
is actually a perfect place to grow
wine grapes. The fields are thorough-
ly irrigated with water from the Andes
and virtu-
ally
any crop in the world can grow here.
Peru’s best wineries are located here
and are referred to as “bodegas”
which actually means “wineries”. All
Peruvian wineries are prefixed with
this word; Bodega Tacama, Bodega
Ocucaje, etc.
In some ways, Ica (the province)
is not just the cradle of Peru’s wine
culture but of Peru as a whole. Saints
and medicine men are a part of
everyday life and this is also where
the best Pisco brandy is distilled.
Pisco has attained a certain degree
of world fame and is considered to
be Peru’s national drink. It would be
very hard to find a Peruvian winery
that doesn’t make Pisco alongside
their wines.
Peruvian Wineries
There are three industrial
wineries in Peru worth men-
tioning and all are located
in the province of Ica.
The winery Tacama lies about
10 kilometers north of the city
of Ica and is one of the best
known and well respected
wine exporters in Peru.
Their Cabernet and
Sauvignon Blanc wines
are a true testament
to what they can do
with wine grapes.
If you have ever
tried a wine
from