Top 100 wines of Peru
Discover the top 100 best wines of Peru as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the wines that are popular of Peru and the best vintages to taste in this region.
Peru, a Spanish-speaking nation in western Chile/south-region">South AmerIca, is a country of varied landscapes. Its shores are bathed by the Pacific Ocean and almost immediately give way to desert (in the south) or mountains (in the North).
These mountains turn into a high plateau, the Altiplano, which is at an average altitude of 3,750 meters above sea level. From here the land plunges back down into the Deep rainforests of the Amazon.
The great Amazon River originates in the highlands of the country.
The Grape varieties used in Peruvian winemaking are, as you might expect, those that are well suited to viticulture in a WarmLimate">Climate. Grenache, the grape behind the high Alcohol wines of the southern Rhone Valley, is an obvious candidate, as is the red-fleshed Alicante Bouschet, a cross between Grenache and Petit Bouschet. The ubiquitous Cabernet Sauvignon is increasingly popular here, as is its Bordeaux companion, Malbec, which has been so successful in Argentina.
The light-skinned Torrontés, another Argentine success story, is Peru's leading white grape variety, under the local name Torontel. It is joined by Sauvignon Blanc and various forms of Muscat, renowned for its ability to thrive in hot climates.
Pisco, a brandy similar to Italian Grappa, is the national drink of Peru, although it is also claimed as such by neighbouring Chile. It is made by distilling fermented grape Juice in copper stills to obtain a very strong alcohol.
Cabernet Franc is one of the oldest red grape varieties in Bordeaux. The Libourne region is its terroir where it develops best. The terroirs of Saint-Emilion and Fronsac allow it to mature and develop its best range of aromas. It is also the majority in many blends. The very famous Château Cheval Blanc, for example, uses 60% Cabernet Franc. The wines produced with Cabernet Franc are medium in colour with fine tannins and subtle aromas of small red fruits and spices. When blended with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it brings complexity and a bouquet of aromas to the wine. It produces fruity wines that can be drunk quite quickly, but whose great vintages can be kept for a long time. It is an earlier grape variety than Cabernet Sauvignon, which means that it is planted as far north as the Loire Valley. In Anjou, it is also used to make sweet rosé wines. Cabernet Franc is now used in some twenty countries in Europe and throughout the world.
wines from the region of Peru go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or spicy food such as recipes of beef bobotie, lamb with masalé sauce and rice or baked sea bream.
On the nose in the region of Peru often reveals types of flavors of tropical, citrus or green apple and sometimes also flavors of non oak, microbio or tree fruit.