Peru | The Food Buster

Ocucaje Wine

Ocucaje Chardonnay Peru Unavailable on Wine-searcher. This isn’t great. The color is golden, but it lacks luster and even looks dirty/muddy. Nice, fruity aroma to it. It goes down as smoothly as water—it’s that light. However, it lacks flavor and has very little length. You can get a nice puckering feel out of it, but it’s...

Tacama Wine

Tacama “Blanco de Blancos” 2008 White Blend—Viognier, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc Ica Valley, Peru Unavailable on Wine-searcher. Interesting color—like a green. Floral aroma. Very light in all regards—color, taste, and aroma. At sime time, not horrible. A bit bitter, and lacking in favor, but smooth. Very weak. Overall...

Tabernero Wine

Tabernero White Blend (I believe it’s the Blanco de Blancos) Loire Valley, Peru $9 on Wine-searcher. Nice, gold color, with great yellowish tints. Little aroma, but fruity in the nose. Taste is surprisingly not bad. Light and fruity, good for an appetizer. Has a subtle fruity twist to it, too. Slightly acidic and bitter, with...

Viejo Tonel Italia

Viejo Tonel Italia Pisco (a type of grape brandy) Peru The Italia is one of the sweeter types of pisco, landing somewhere between the Mosto Verde and the Torontel on the spectrum of sweetness and aroma. The aroma on this one has a lot of fruity notes. It’s way harsher than the Viejo Tonel Mosto Verde Pisco, but it still...

Viejo Tonel Torontel

Viejo Tonel Torontel Pisco (a type of grape brandy) Peru The Torontel is a type of Pisco that leans towards the quebranta side of the spectrum in terms of its sweetness profile, but which incorporates just a bit more aroma and some fruity notes. This one has a lovely aroma—the alcohol still comes through strongly but with a great...

Pisco Macerated in Coca Leaves

Pisco Macerated in Coca Leaves Peru Wow! Pisco picks up so much flavor from the maceration. Transparent, green color instead of the traditional white for a pisco. The aroma completely exudes coca. The taste is rather interesting—coca jumps out just slightly in both the 1st taste and the aftertaste. It’s rather smooth, with a...

Gran Comodoro Acholado

Gran Comodoro Acholado Pisco (a type of grape brandy) Peru This was the “highest” quality of Acholado I could find in the bars in Peru, costing about twice as much as the typical pisco. Acholado, as stated previously, is a mix of different grapes. This one is very strong, leaning towards the quebranta side. It tastes almost...

Viejo Tonel Quebranta

Viejo Tonel Quebranta Pisco (a type of grape brandy) Peru The quebrante is a non-aromatic and tasteless grape varietal. It is typically meant to be used in cocktails, so it’s not a great drink on its own, though it is the traditional variety of Pisco. Strong and sharp—almost no taste. Starts out a bit sweet but turns acidic and...

Viejo Tonel Acholado

Viejo Tonel Acholado Pisco (a type of grape brandy) Peru Acholado is a mix of different types of Pisco. As is the case here, it often combines quebranta with some sweeter flavors. This one has some aroma, but really too little to note (since quebrante is non-aromatic). Very smooth. Burns as always, but even stronger than many other...

Tradición Majas Moscatel Pisco

Tradición Majas Moscatel Pisco (a type of grape brandy) Articulated in Peru Moscatel is a type of pisco that is not commonly produced, even in Peru. It’s known for its sweeter flavor. This one does not have much aroma, though there’s a soft typical moscatel smell. Goes down very smoothly, almost like water. Warms you,but...