The documents speak. The Peruvian Memory of the World Committee of UNESCO delivered to the General Archive of the Nation the certificates of entry to its registry of manuscripts between 1587 and 1613 on the origin of Peruvian pisco. These valuable documents, found this year by the AGN, include historical testimonies about the production and trade of grape spirit, called pisco today.
UNESCO has recognized the significance of these writings, registered as public deeds, which document the production, marketing and export of grape spirit, as well as aspects of the economic and social life of the Viceroyalty of Peru. This discovery, due to its age and content, reaffirms that pisco has deeply Peruvian roots.
This is a great victory for Peru and for all pisco producers, who will be able to continue producing this emblematic drink with the certainty that its origin is duly protected.
It should be noted that among the documents that were certified are a letter of payment and settlement (1587), company deed (1589), will of Manuel de Azante (1605), which is the first record of a boiler for distillation, and the will of Pedro Manuel el Griego (1613), which describes elements of production and commerce in Ica.
In this regard, the institutional head of the General Archive of the Nation, Nicolás Díaz Sánchez, highlighted the importance of having said archives.
“We guard the first testimonies of our flagship drink and, possibly, we have even older documents. “We will continue investigating to continue highlighting our history,” he added.
Likewise, he announced that he will promote the registration of these records in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Program and stressed that “that is the social impact that must be achieved as a public entity.”
For his part, the president of the Pisco Academy, Johnny Schuler, highlighted that the delivery of these certificates by UNESCO represents a significant event for the country, since it confirms the authenticity of the manuscripts on the origin of this national product. .
“This addition to the UNESCO Memory of the World is very important, because it documents the production of what was finally called pisco, although initially it was known as aguardiente,” Schuler told the press.
Export
Although Chile has not viewed UNESCO’s decision favorably, the truth is that the neighboring country is among the main buyers of Peruvian pisco.
Although shipments of the Peruvian drink to the southern nation have decreased compared to previous years, it is evident that today this economy occupies sixth place among the largest buyers in the world, below the United States, Japan, Spain, and the Netherlands. and Belgium, according to the executive director of the Foreign Trade Research and Development Institute of the Lima Chamber of Commerce (CCL), Carlos Posada.
In that sense, he revealed that in 2023, pisco exports to that country totaled US$355,272, and as of October they already reached US$288,211. However, he clarified that the shipment is not made under the name “pisco” but as “grape spirits.”
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