The Pisco conflict

The Pisco Sour, a delicious tangy cocktail made from grape brandy called Pisco, is ubiquitous in Chile, so much so that it has become the national drink in Chile.

However, if you say this to a Peruvian, you risk getting a drink in your face because Peruvians also claim its ownership!

The conflict over the origins of this alcohol is taken very seriously !

It is said in Chile that, in the 1930s, Gabriel González Videla, deputy of La Serena and future president of the country, personally intervened to change the name of the village from La Unión to Pisco Elqui, to bring down the theory of the Peruvian origin of the drink.

Peru as for him, asserts its colonial port of Pisco, located in the wine valley of the same name. The Peruvians have other solid arguments: it is on their territory that the Spaniards introduced the vines, and the archives confirm the trace of consumption of Pisco in Peru since 1613...

But the Chileans assure that Pisco has been consumed here for centuries and that it is of superior quality. They also point out that their country produces, drinks and exports, infinitely more Pisco than Peru, and that it is therefore thanks to Chile that the drink has become popular.

After years of rivalry, the first round was won by Peru in 2005, when it obtained a favorable decision from the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Nevertheless the legal and cultural battle does not seem to be over yet... case to follow!