06/21/06 Wine in Peru

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and on today's program we are going to take a peek at wine in the southern parts of America, specifically in Peru. I just committed to go to Machu Pichu - to see the Incan ruins and of course one of the first questions I was asked was not how are yuou going to get into shape to do this but what is the wine like in Peru? Honestly, I have no idea. But I do know that Jose del Pozo wrote a book about the spread of the vinifera grape and the production of wine in Mexico and how it spread from there to Peru. In Peru a man by the name of Francisco de Carabantes built the first vineyards just south of Lima at Tacama in about 1540. They are the oldest vineyards in Peru. So, Peruvians were making wine before they were producing in Chile or Argentina. Although, the later two, have seen much greater international, commercial and export success. I did some research and I think I am looking forward to this trip even more now. This is a winery that employs many French winemaking techniques. They grow red varietals Malbec and Petit Verdot and whites such as Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Ugni Blanc. They even make some sparkling wines! Hey, I am totally open to this experience and if I make it to the ruins I just might have some Peruvian bubbly to celebrate with! I will let you know next fall just how it went. But for now - remember to send your wine questions to Linda at Vine to Wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.