Pisco declaration as a Cultural Heritage is now a law

By Francisco Espinosa Reboa

In 1988, Resolution 179-88 from the National Institute of Culture of Peru declared Pisco as a a Cultural Heritage of the Nation. On August 15, 2017, such declaration was established as a law by the Peruvian Congress, with the aim of deepening the protection of Pisco both in Peru and abroad.

"Peru has a strategy to advance in its protection of Pisco and we are doing so on different levels", said Ray Meloni, director of the Distinctive Signs Direction of the National Institute for the Defense of Free Competition and the Protection of Intellectual Property (Indecopi) of Peru, in reference to Law Nº30.639, signed by Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Cabinet President Fernando Zavala. Weeks ago, Indecopi gave the Pisco appellation of origin (AO) the “renowned reputation of notoriety”, stating that the alcoholic beverage has “reached a relevant level of knowledge, recall, great quality and positioning that puts it at same level of other famous AO.

In 1991, Supreme Decree Nº 001-91 officially recognized Pisco as a Peruvian AO, a recognition who´s exclusivity the country has fought for decades with neighbor Chile. Pisco is a colorless or yellowish-to-amber colored brandy produced in winemaking regions of both Andean countries.