Lunahuaná is not only Rafting, but also a big vineyard, where grapes (the ones of the "uvina" variety) of good quality offer us the famous Pisco. Is included within the route of Pisco that is even part of a new tour circuit that is being promoted more and more.

The first thing that occurred to me when we started to see the wine cellars and pisco, was how traditional they look like. You can go through several small bodegas and see how the owners and producers are working with the passion that is a characteristic of those lovers of good drinks, like wine or pisco. You can sense the mysticism in the air.

During my trip, we visited two wineries of wines and Pisco. The first, called Viña Los Reyes ", is located about 1.5 km from the main square. It is a small winery in size that has begun to gradually industrialise itself and now produces wines and pisco in a way a little more industrialized, but still retains the traditional home-made artifacts.

Below you can see some photos of the factory, and the former still where the pisco is processed. The mosto must be inserted there, which is then heated and distilled through a tube, that is then cooled with water and deposited into containers where they are left to rest for a some months until they take color and flavor. This winery has been the winner of some national and international awards, as can be seen in its desk.

The next stop on our tour of the wine cellars and pisco was Catapalla, town located a few kilometers down the penetration road Cañete-Yauyos, crossing the bridge. Crossing the village across the square, we find the Bodega "La Reyna de Lunahuaná" .

This winery has an existence of about 150 years, passing from one owner to another, but it has never lost its tradition of producing wines and pisco in a purely artisanal way, as usually done in the past century. If you want to know a little history and see how was the manufacturing process of pisco and wine done during the last century, this is a good stop. Then I'll show you a few passages of our visit to the winery that we were able to record on video.

During the visit, our guide, Mr. Antonio Lira , told us more about the methods of preparation of these spiritual drinks using pisco grapes. Also, in the same winery is a small shrimp hatchery, where the guide will explain why they are so delicious. Watch the video to learn why.

In the next video, during our visit to the winery "La Reyna de Lunahuaná" , our guide explains how to perform the production of pisco and wine in the cellar, the quality of the grape variety of pisco called "uvina, and how they help to improve the productivity of pisco, where around 30 liters of pisco can be obtained per every 100 liters of must. You can see the stills, where the process of distillation takes place and a small shrimp farm.

Next, one of our tour guide explains the types and qualities of the beverages that are produced in this winery. Among the interesting things, he shows us how it is possible to distinguish a good quality pisco from one that is not. There are three ways to detect it:

• If you shake the bottle of pisco in a way that the liquid inside it turns for a few seconds, you will be able to see a string of amber in the center, showing that pisco was obtained from pure grape, without any water.
• When you serve the pisco in a glass at a distance of about 15cm high, it must form some bubbles on the surface that must remain for one minute.
• First fill a clean glass with pisco, and empty it. You will need to blow hard into the cup, approximately three times with strong blows. Then smell the scent off the glass. That must be an odor similar to oak, a smell of wood tree that is unmistakable appreciating.

If you want to see the how it is done, press play on the next video and do not forget to try it yourself next time you take some pisco.

That's it for this blog entry. And yet we have not reached that part of Rafting! In the next entry I will comment on some trips you can make a horse, the hanging bridge and a visit to the Casa Encantada of Lunahuaná. Have a happy trip!

Next:

• Tour in Lunahuaná: Travel Notes, Part 4

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• Tour in Lunahuaná: Travel Notes, Part 2
• Tour in Lunahuaná: Travel Notes, Part 1