THE WINE ROUTE

  

 History tells us that the first vineyards in Peru were planted in the ICA Valley in 1540, that is, during the colonial era. As we know, when the Spanish arrived in Peru, they brought their culture but also their religion. Faced with the need to use wine during Catholic masses, since bringing it from Spain was very expensive and time-consuming, grape seedlings were introduced in some valleys of the Peruvian coast, especially in this fertile Ica Valley. According to the mestizo writer Don Garcilao de la Vega, the first time wine was made in Peru, although on a small scale, was at the MARCAHUASI hacienda in Cusco.

  

 When the TACAMA estate, owned by the Spaniard FRANCISCO CARABANTES (an estate that still operates today), was founded, a great boost was given to the wine industry in this valley when the first seedlings of the MOLLAR grape variety were brought from the CANARY ISLANDS. For this reason, the Tacama estate is considered the first vineyard in Peru and the oldest in South America.

  

Then other grape varieties were introduced such as: LA MOLLAR CANO from Andalusia, LA NEGRA CRIOLLA also called "Listan Prieto" which came from the region of Castilla la Mancha and which adapted very quickly to the geography and climate of Peru, another very popular grape in its time was the MOSCATEL DE ALEJADRIA which is cultivated to this day and is in great demand in international markets.

  

 Already in the 17th century Ica was famous for its wines that competed with the wines of Spain, the Jesuit missionaries had acquired some lands and they themselves cultivated their grapes and produced high quality wines until the Jesuits were expelled from America by King Charles III and their lands and production passed into the hands of an Italian family, the Zunini, who in 1888 created a winemaking society and continued with the tradition of wines expanding to other valleys.

  

Currently, 44,483 hectares of grapes are grown in the valleys of Ica, 60% of which are pisco grapes (grape distillate) and the remaining 40% is dedicated to the cultivation of wine grapes and table grapes. This area is one of the main wine-growing regions in Peru, with the main varieties being: RED GLOBE, SWEET GLOBE, SWEET CELEBRATION, FLAME SEEDLESS, CANDY DREAMS, etc. The Ica grape harvest is a vibrant, colorful festival that celebrates the grape harvest and takes place in February each year nd its central activity is to stomp the grapes as it was done centuries ago.

In recent years, thanks to the incredible climatic and geographical conditions, grape production, with nearly 40 varieties cultivated in the different valleys, has seen significant growth, making Peru the world's leading producer of table grapes. The production is estimated to reach 562,063 tons in 2024/2025, which will be exported to international markets.