Tacama

In his interesting and well documented book about the "History of Chilean Wine", the author, Jose del Pozo states that cultivation of grapes spread very fast in the region. In Mexico, it was cultivated since Hernán Cortés' time around 1520, following the Conquest of Mexico. It arrived later to Peru, where the names of Bartolomé de Terrazas and Francisco de Carabantes stand as the pioneers of vine growing in this country - during the decade of 1540. Carabantes formed the vineyard of TACAMA in the oasis of Ica, south of Lima, and which is the oldest in Peru. From there it spread to Chile and Argentina.” During the decade of the 1920's, TACAMA established its first contacts with French Technology, importing wine casks and hiring French technicians. This is the beginning of the vineyard renovation with the introduction of grapevines imported from France. This is the first effort to produce wines using modern technology. The Second World War put an end to this experiment, and it is only after 1958 that the notable transfer of specialized technology from France to Peru on the difficult art of producing wine begins. In 1962, TACAMA hired the services of a first class French Enologist, Robert Niederman, who contributed toward increasing the quality of its products with his knowledge and efficient methods. From that date on, the best French experts - world authorities in the production of wine - become advisers to TACAMA and travel constantly to Ica during the grape harvest season, monitoring the preparation of its wines and applying the latest developments in the art of wine making. Professors Jean Ribéreau-Gayon, Émile Peynaud, Max Rives, Alain Carbonneau and Pascal Ribéreau-Gayon, among others, collaborate to establish and maintain a permanent communication with regard to the latest processes and techniques. All of them make annual visits to TACAMA and Robert Niederman attributes the great quality and success of our wines to the constant guidance of these professionals. According to Professor Jean Ribéreau-Gayon, “the efforts made by TACAMA have been rewarded with the production of wines of undisputed quality, thus creating a typically Peruvian variety of wines comparable to the best wines of the vine-growing countries”. “I have personally witnessed the significant technological effort made by TACAMA, including both work methods and materials, and based on very safe scientific principles”, he adds. – Description from Dragac    (hide)