Winery Vista Alegre, Ica

Ica is the wine capital of Peru, with a number of vineyards scattered across the huge region of Ica.  Pablo knew of a fairly good vineyard near his place and brought me there to have a look.

Pablo shared that the locals seem to prefer the sweeter variety of wines such as Rose and Vino Dulce.  Vista Alegre does a really good job in producing a wide variety of wines including the sweet ones, as well as the traditional whites and reds, Vermouth and even Pisco! 

As any typical vineyard, one will be welcomed by grapevines upon entry, and Vista Alegre was no exception.

What I found interesting was that they had a section called “El Jardin de Baco” (Baco is the God of Wine, and is literally translated to “The Garden of the God of Wine”), which showed the full range of vines, labelled with the type of grapes grown e.g.. Cabernet, Chenin, Pebro Ximenez, Quebranta (the famous grape in Ica). 

Unfortunately, most of the grapes looked the same to me, and it is amazing how they could tell one from the other apart!

They also had the traditional wine making tools for making wine and pisco displayed in the garden area, where from time to time private parties can be held here. 

Really pleasant area, overlooking the vineyards and the view of sand dunes in the distance!