Translated by Katrina Heimark

We are glad to have the presence of Mr. Cesar Antonio Chiarella Yacub, Manager of the bodega “Pisco Don Cesar” from Tacna, for our interview of the producer of the month.

1.-Good Morning Mr. Chiarella. We would like to know where your bodega Pisco Don Cesar is located.
Good morning. Before starting this interesting interview,
I would like to thank you for the deference you have had with our bodega and congratulate you for the marvelous initiative for creating a means of information where the protagonist is our TODAY, TOMORROW AND ALWAYS PERUVIAN PISCO. Our Bodega is located in the Alta Street in Lima, number 1381 in the heroic city of Tacna.

2.-Which year and how did the bodega Pisco Don Cesar form?
In 1982. Don Cesar Alejandro Chiarella Arce and his wife Violeta Yacub de Chiarella founded it. It is a beautiful story about how the bodega was born, and it fills me with pride and nostalgia. In 1981, a good friend of my parents, Giovanni Terlevick, a Yugoslav, came for a visit to my parents’ house. He had lived in Peru for many years, and when he entered the house, the first thing he noticed were the proudly-displayed grapes, beautiful clusters of the marvelous Negra Criolla grape, typical of the Tacna area.
He asked my dad what that type of grape was used for. My dad responded that some was eaten at home and the rest was given away to family and friends. One of the days in which Mr. Giovanni was in Tacna, he had lunch at the Rancho San Antonio restaurant, which was also owned by the family. My parents had many antiques decorating the restaurant, and in the bar, a small still from Chincha was proudly displayed. Once he was back in the house, Mr. Giovanni asked my dad why they didn’t distill some Pisco, seeing as we had the grapes in the house and the still in the restaurant. The next day they harvested, crushed the grapes and left them to ferment while they maintained the small still. Once the must was at its optimum quality, they began to distill the Pisco. Since the still was small, it took a long time for the Pisco to come out of the still. Once it did, the first drops were crystal clear and of extraordinary pure quality from Tacna grapes. Later, we called it Pisco Don Cesar.

Later, my dad, advised by his good friend and another producer from Tacna (Don Pedro Liendo Potales), implemented a complete bodega. Proudly, it was the most complete bodega in Tacna.
 

3.-What are the factors that are important to you in the distillation of a good Pisco?
The production of a good Pisco is not started in the bodega, but rather in the field with the care and good management of the plants and the soil. There is a say that goes “good grapes give good Pisco,” and that is why a producer must closely follow the cultivation, harvest, and transportation processes. This must be done hand in hand with the knowledge of the person in charge of the distillation, good resting tanks and above all, the care that one puts into their work. These are the fundamental factors to obtain a quality product.

4.-As a producer of “Pisco Don Cesar,” what is, in your opinion, a characteristic that a good Pisco must have?
The characteristics are as follows:

Appearance: It must be clear, clean and bright.
Color: Without color

Smell:
Pure Pisco of non-aromatic grapes:
Slightly alcoholic, the raw material of origin does not predominate, clean with structure and balance, free from any strange elements.

Pure Pisco from aromatic grapes:
Slightly alcoholic, reminds one of the raw material it is derived from, ripe or overly ripe fruits, intense, full, refined perfume, structured and balanced, free from any strange elements.

Acholado Pisco:
Slightly alcoholic, intense, faintly reminds of the raw material it is derived from, ripe or overly ripe fruits, very fine, structured and balanced and free from any strange element.

Green Must Pisco:
Slightly alcoholic, intense, the aroma of the raw materials predominates, or might faintly remind one of the ingredients, light ripe or overly ripe fruits, delicate with structure and balance, free from any strange element.
Flavor: Pure Pisco from non-aromatic grapes:
Slightly alcoholic, light flavor, the aroma of the raw ingredients does not predominate, clean with structure and balance, free from any strange element.

Pure Pisco from aromatic grapes.
Slightly alcoholic, flavor that reminds one of the raw ingredients, intense, with structure and balance, free from any strange element.
Acholado Pisco:
Slightly alcoholic, light flavor that reminds one of the raw ingredients, very refined intensity, with structure and balance, free from any strange element.

Green Must Pisco:
Slightly alcoholic, the aroma of the raw ingredients predominates, very fine and delicate, velvety, with structure and balance, free from any strange element.  

5.-What varieties of grapes do you distill for Pisco Don Cesar?
For the distillation of pure non-aromatic grapes, we use the Negra Criolla variety,
tell us approximately how many produers you think the Tacna regoin has?
Tacna, if I‘m a grape that is originally from the old valley of Tacna (Calana, Pachia, Pocollay, and Calientes).
For the distillation of Pure Pisco from aromatic grapes, we use Italia grape from the fertile valley of Magollo, a grape of exceptional quality, with an unmatchable flavor and aroma, which is unique in Peru.

For the distillation of Acholado Pisco, we use three grape varieties: Negra Criolla, Italia and Quebranta in equal proportion.

For the distillation of Green Must Pisco, we use the Negra Criolla grape. This year we will produce a Green Must Pisco with Italia grapes.

6. What time of year is the VENDIMIA in Tacna?
It generally takes place in March. 

7.-There are many regional Piscos that are not very common in Lima despite the fact that their consumption has increased. Why do you think that is?
That’s true. I think that it is particularly due to the operating costs. In order to be in Lima, producers must have a distributer and reach supermarkets and large liquor stores, which signifies high operating costs. I think, and I will seriously propose it someday, that just as there is the fruit market, the potato market, Gamarra and other large emporiums, there should also be a place where we can find all the Pisco producers in Peru.

8.-What future project does Pisco Don Cesar have in mind?
Continue to produce Pisco with our demonstrated quality. Each year we will produce more, and some day be able to export each day a higher volume.

9.-In your experience, what limitations are there for the industry in regards to the export of Peruvian Pisco?
Year by year Peru exports more and more Pisco. The moment will come in which the request will be extraordinarily high due to the quality. I worry about where will we get the raw materials when this becomes reality? In Tacna, for example, the grape plantations have grown very little; we must take these matters into our own hands.

10.-What prizes has Pisco Don Cesar won?
Many regional and national prizes, among which the most important was being the Champions with our Pure Pisco in 2001, when only one producer was awarded with a gold medal. In 2005 we won the gold medal for our aromatic Italia Pisco.

11.-Could you tell us approximately how many Pisco producers there are in the Tacna region?
If I am not mistaken, Tacna has 14 producers with the Pisco Denomination of Origin.

12.-Just out of curiosity, have you read our March bulletin?
I read your bulletin every month!

I ask because of the following. In the section “Pisco in the World” we have published a letter from a Peruvian who lives in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Being so close to Tacna, how is it that we can’t satisfy this demand with our Pisco? How can we help? How can we reach these markets? Thanks so much for your answer.

We have been sending our Pisco to Bolivia for consulates to use. The price of their distilled alcohols is cheap, and it is difficult to compete because of the price, especially for quality. Another inconvenience is the distribution; they do not have ways on land to reach these routes. We hope that once the transoceanic road is complete in the future that we will be able to bring our product to all Bolivia.

Source:
http://www.elpiscoesdelperu.com/boletines/abril2007/08.htm