Pisco is the grape spirit most associated with Chile, and the Elqui Valley, in the Coquimbo region, holds most of the country's production thanks to its dry climate and high sun exposure, ideal for growing Muscat grapes.
How it's made
Pisco is made by distilling wine from Muscat grapes grown specifically for this purpose, under a denomination-of-origin regulation that only allows production in the Atacama and Coquimbo regions. Unlike other spirits, some of its more traditional variants aren't diluted with water before bottling, which explains the difference in alcohol content between different labels.
Visiting the pisco distilleries
Several distilleries in the Elqui Valley, including some of the country's best-known brands, offer tours covering the full process -from harvest to bottling- ending with a tasting. Most are clustered between the towns of Vicuña and Pisco Elqui, about two hours from La Serena, making it easy to combine the visit with the area's astrotourism.
Whether pisco is Chilean or Peruvian has been debated for decades without a clear resolution: both countries produce spirits under that name, but with different methods, grapes and origin regulations, and each defends its own denomination of origin.
