Peru has a huge melting pot of Criolla varieties (also known as the Pisco varieties) that have crossed with one another over the last five centuries, many of which remain unknown or unidentified. And those that have got a name are often identified incorrectly in the vineyard. Huevo de gallo (meaning ‘egg of a rooster’), for example, commonly refers to several different Criolla varieties. Without any official nationwide register, Peru’s vineyard plantings are informed by anecdotes rather than bona fide statistics and riddled with misnomers and misidentifications. A status unlikely to change anytime soon. However, there are some key Criolla and Pisco grape varieties to get to know from Peru, many of which are rising in the wine scene too:
Guide to Criolla and Pisco varieties in Peru
While most of these grapes go towards Pisco production, a small proportion are destined for winemaking. Wines made from Criolla or Pisco varieties are usually white and normally a blend of varieties. However, the range of styles is growing. The Criolla wines you’ll find in the top wine bars and restaurants of Lima are more typically wines with some level of skin contact to add some body to these otherwise light-bodied varieties, and usually display quite a floral, ripe fruit character.
Quebranta grape
A native Peruvian variety, Quebranta is one of Peru’s most-planted grape varieties and is estimated to account for almost half of the vineyards planted for wine and Pisco production. Quebranta probably appeared at some point in the 17th century as a result of a natural crossing of Mollar Cano with Negra Criolla (Listán Prieto). There is a huge diversity of Quebranta clones to be found in Peru and the colour of the grapes range from pinkish-green to deep purple. Its characteristics vary slightly too, but Quebranta is renowned for its resistance to drought, salinity and phylloxera (most vines are ungrafted), as well as for being highly productive. Quebranta is generally considered the most complex of the Pisco grapes, with the greatest mouthfeel and body, albeit one of the least aromatic. Quebranta has adapted well to most of Peru’s wine regions and is widely used for wines, mistela and Pisco.
Albilla grape
One of the earliest varieties to arrive in Peru, Albilla was recently genetically identified as Palomino Fino (aka. Listán Blanco). It makes sense, as Cristopher Columbus and his cronies set sail from the capital of Palomino (and Sherry!) — Jerez — in Andalusia all those centuries ago. There’s another misnomer that surrounds this white grape variety, as it is classified as one of the ‘aromatic’ varieties for Pisco production, although it isn’t aromatic at all. Albilla is better known for offering a broader mouthfeel and more body to white wines, rather than for its aroma. It is a very productive variety that is tolerant of the often saline soils of Peru’s wine regions.
Italia grape
Italia is the Peruvian name for Moscatel de Alejandría, an ancient Greek variety that was widely cultivated in Spain and one of the earliest grape varieties to arrive to Peru, being the most widely planted white vinifera variety today. Intensely aromatic, this white grape variety is used for both Pisco and wine production, and adds flamboyant floral and fruit aromas to wines. It is also being used more commonly as a single-variety wine by some of the smaller, natural wine producers and can make convincingly complex and aromatic orange wines. Unofficially, Italia can also refer to Italia Rosada (a pink Muscat) and Italia Negra (a black Muscat) grapes.
Moscatel grape
An undetermined Peruvian mutation of the Muscat family, whose parentage has not yet been clearly identified and is still being investigated (Pink Muscat is a leading suspect, but it is genetically different to Moscatel Rosada in Argentina or Italia Rosada in Peru). Peruvian Moscatel grapes tend to be pinkish-brown in colour and can make aromatic wines or Pisco with floral notes and spice on the palate.
Mollar grape
In a world of oh-so-many synonyms, Mollar is also called Negramoll (in the Canary Islands) and Mollar Cano (in Andalusia). This red grape variety was among the first varieties to be brought from Spain, although relatively few plantations remain in Peru today. Because of its similar appearance, it is often confused in the vineyard with Quebranta, but Mollar is actually a parent of Quebranta. Mollar is commonly eaten as a table grape, due to its soft and succulent grapes, although it is also used for Pisco – but rarely wine.
Negra Criolla grape
Also known as Negro Corriente in Peru, this is Listán Prieto (aka. País in Chile, Criolla Chica in Argentina or Misionera in Bolivia) and was the first grape variety to be planted in Peru. As a particularly productive variety, with high resistance to disease, drought and salinity, it often goes into Pisco production and it is being used for table wines too, usually in blends with other red varieties. It isn’t typically made as a single-variety wine in Peru, but there are a few wines being made in Caravelí and Moquegua.
Torontel grape
Although there are other varieties with the same name, Peruvian Torontel is a native Criolla variety born in Peru (different to Torrontés in Argentina or Torontel in Chile). Torontel is an aromatic white grape variety and is often used in Pisco and white wine production. It can have quite a similar character to Italia, with flamboyant citrus, tropical fruit and floral aromas, but it has slightly more mouthfeel.
Any other Pisco grape varieties to know?
Uvina grape – the black sheep of the Pisco family…
Peru’s Pisco varieties were known as the ‘Peruvian Pisco 7’ until Uvina stepped in. The only non-Vitis vinifera, and non-Criolla, variety permitted in Pisco production since 2006. This deep-coloured tintorera (red-fleshed) variety is a hybrid (Vitis aestivalis crossed with Vitis vinifera) whose real name is Jacquez. It arrived from Europe in the 1930s, is mostly grown in Cañete and used for Pisco.
Find out more about criolla wines & grape varieties in South America:
- The diversity of Peruvian Wine and Peru’s Grape Varieties
- The Ultimate Guide to Criolla Wines and Criolla Grape Varieties
- A to Z of South American Grape Varieties
- A Complete Guide to Torrontés
- A Vine Gold Mine: INTA’s Vine Garden and wealth of Criolla Varieties
- The Secrets of Old Criolla Vines in Cinti: Jaime Rivera interview
- Safeguarding Bolivian Wine Traditions: An Interview with Marcelo Vacaflores in Cinti Valley
