History & Traditions

Agriculture has always been difficult in the region now called Pisco. Its primitive inhabitants, Diaguita Indians, not just took possession of these five valleys, Copiapó, Huasco, Elqui, Limarí and Choapa, but also, over two centuries they exercised agricultural activities. This would be the most appropriate environment to receive the settlers:  first, from the Inca Empire; and then, from Spain, who reached this remote place in the middle of the sixteenth century.

Indeed, the vine, which gives rise to the Chilean pisco, accompanied the settler from the very moment the conquest and colonization of the territory begins.  Thus the planting of vines has been given in Copiapo and La Serena almost since the arrival of Pedro de Valdivia and his collaborators, which were mostly the first encomenderos in whose facilities there were always vine.  In a short time, vine transformed in one of the most important productive activities to supply first, of wines and later of aguardiente, the principal administrative centers; along with the mining center, where business was very dynamic.

This first stage of Chilean pisco occurs in parallel way to the Colonial phase, mainly towards the north, where is located the administration of the viceroyalty of Peru, which Chile belonged to.  In both cases, the term Pisco could have been of common use, referring to the Quechua word “pisko” that means “bird”, or the term “pisquillo” meaning the container of these beverages.

As from the second half of the nineteenth century, Chile traces its production plan in a different way to what it had been being until then, “The Spanish way of winemaking,” practiced by the entire colony. It was imposed the “French way” that considers appropriate varieties to the product which characteristics are desired to boost (Muscat for an aromatic product), and modern technologies, to obtain better product quality.

Is this productive impulse, along with the help of the leading exponents of the local agricultural industry, which manages to bring Chilean Pisco to the condition of “product related with its origin,” and slowly, through this condition, to be recognized in the national market. At this time, the economic condition of the country made a great improve thanks to the exportation of saltpeter from the North, and grain from the South. As a result, the local market achieved an unprecedented development.

Since the appearance of the decree of Chilean Pisco protection, in 1931, came a whole industry development that trough a cooperative scheme at an agro-industrial level, led the Chilean Pisco to have full national ownership and to become part of the country’s flagship products.