When wine lovers think of South American wines, normally Chile and Argentina come to mind. Some might even say Uruguay. However, there is quality wine being made in Peru.
Peruvian Wine
Most tourists come to Peru to see Machu Picchu, other Incan sites and its colorful culture. However, its cuisine has gotten more notoriety too. In terms of beverages, you’re more likely to find Peruvian beer like Cusquena, Peruvian Pisco, Inca Kola and Chicha Morada* than Peruvian wine. Moreover, wine offerings at restaurants or shops tend to have more Chilean wines than Peruvian wines.
The most common Peruvian wines you can find in Peru and Chile come from Intipalka, who also make Pisco. In fact, most vineyards are used for table grapes and Pisco. Only 7% of their vineyards are used for wine. Most of their vineyards are located south of Lima along the coast. The principal wine regions are Lima, Ica, Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna. Ica is by far the biggest region and where most Peruvian wine is produced.
Peru’s history of winemaking actually predates Chile since it was colonized by the Spanish earlier. Although it grows international grapes like Syrah, Malbec and Merlot for wine production, they mostly produce Criolla and traditional grapes, which mostly go into Pisco.
Criolla grapes are varieties that developed in South America from crosses with the European varieties brought by the Spanish. The most common in Peru are Torrontel (different from those that developed in Chile and Argentina), Quebranta and Moscatel crosses/mutations. Quebranta, which is a cross between Pais and Mollar, is exclusive to Peru and the primary variety in Peruvian Pisco.
When I say traditional grapes, I mean the original parent grapes brought by the Spanish such as Moscatel de Alejandria (Italia in Peru), Pais (Negra Criolla in Peru), Albilla (Palomino Fino) and Mollar (Negramoll). There’s a nice family tree here.**
What is exciting about Peruvian wine is that some producers are starting to produce wine featuring Criolla and traditional grapes, which is true for the producer I’m reviewing in this post.
*Chicha is historically a traditional alcoholic drink made from vegetables or fruit, but Chicha Morada is a non-alcoholic sweet beverage made primarily from purple corn. On the other hand, Chicha in Chile is typically made with semi-fermented grapes.
** You can find more information about Peruvian wine from the South American Wine Guide.
Bodega Murga
I discovered Bodega Murga at the Lima Airport. While I was browsing through the duty free selections, the owner of Bodega Murga, Raquel Tudela, happened to be there and noticed me eyeing her wines. She stopped to give me the story of her wines. Then, I promptly bought a couple of her bottles to take home with me because based on her description, her wines were definitely for wine geeks like me.
They’re located in the Valle de Pisco in Humay about 25 km from the Pacific in the region of Ica. The foothills of the Andes are to the north and dunes are to the south. The soils are stony, sandy loam. The area was coveted by the Incas and the Spanish through the centuries.
Like many wine producers in Peru, Bodega Murga makes Pisco too. Their Pisco label is called Pisco Murga, which started in 2017. They started making wine a year later with the same Criolla grapes they use to make Pisco: Albilla, Italia, Negra Criolla and Quebranta.
They also wanted to make natural wines, so nothing is added except a minimal amount of sulfur. Their wines also use native yeasts and are unfiltered.
They have several varietal wines and blends. I think all the whites see some amount of skin contact. Some are aged in stainless steel, concrete eggs, used oak or some combination.
Production is led by their Pisco expert Alberto di Laura, Brazilian winemaker Pietra Possamai and sommelier Arturo Inga.
It’s hard to classify all the wines because many are blends with all the whites getting various amounts of maceration and some of the reds being vinified more like rosés. I’ve seen the same bottle called rosé and orange in different reviews. Nonetheless, they’ve already received great press and scores from Descorchados, Decanter and Tim Atkin. Both of the wines I got were rated 94 by Tim Atkin.
Production is small, ranging from 25-400 cases per cuvee. Prices are reasonable in Peru at around $25 a bottle, but it’s unfortunately twice that amount at the airport.
Tasting Notes
2021 Bodega Murga Agathodemon Valle de Pisco
50% Mollar, 50% Italia. 3275 bottles produced. Pellicular maceration (cold maceration before fermentation) for 31 days. Co-fermented. Aged in concrete eggs.
Dark pink in color. Pretty floral nose. Some fizz on the palate, which more typically shows up in natural wines, but given the style of the wine is sort of between rosé and orange wine, the wine tastes better when drunk chilled and the bubbles don’t interfere with the experience. Some might feel the bubbles give it more lift and freshness. Medium-light body with medium acid. Fruit upfront with savory, herbal, leafy finish with slight bitter and oxidative notes, but not too much. It’s not over the top natural or orange, but someone who’s less familiar with these types of wines would prefer it with food. It went perfectly with Indian food. 91
2021 Bodega Murga Quebranta Sophia L’Orange Valle de Pisco
85% Quebranta, 15% Mollar. 4740 bottles made. Pellicular maceration (cold maceration before fermentation) for 30 days. Co-fermented. Aged in stainless steel.
Although Quebranta and Mollar are red grapes, the color of the wine, as the name suggests, is rather orange with pink tones. Less aromatic than the Agathodemon, but more interesting and intense on the palate. Also a bit fizzy. Also medium-bodied with a little more acid. More tannic/structured than the Agathodemon. Spicier. Good length. Nice savory, herbal, leafy finish too, but also not over the top in its orange wine-ness. Ultimately the same style as the Agathodemon, but bigger and more complex on the palate. Both are low alcohol wines (11 & 11.5%) that should go well with lots of foods, especially ethnic foods like Indian, Chinese, Afghani, Middle Eastern and even sushi given its umami flavors. 92
Conclusion
As a wine geek, it’s exciting to try wines from exotic locations from exotic varieties vinified in a way to highlight the terroir and native varieties rather than make a generic international style wine.
At the same time, this style of wine is for wine geeks and natural wine lovers. With food, these wines are an example of natural wines that can grow on regular wine drinkers once they let go of their preconceptions of wines and don’t mind wines that are equally savory as they are fruity. When they are chilled, the fizz, low alcohol and good acid also make them quite refreshing despite their savory side. They can pair well with spicy and exotic foods. They’re well made for their style and clean, unlike some natural wines.
I’m curious to see how the Peruvian wine industry continues to evolve.