Last night I wandered around Lima’s Miraflores district in search of a glass of Peruvian wine - I wasn’t even sure such a thing exists. Turns out there’s a small winegrowing district about 300 km south and east of Lima. At 14 degrees from the equator, you don’t expect vines to be growing around here, but the cold Humboldt Current mitigates the desert heat and ample water from the Andes provides irrigation. As a result, turns out people have been planting grapes in Peru since the 1540s. Who knew?
Anyway, on a warm night sitting at an outdoor cafe watching the locals play chess, a glass (or three) of rose sounded just about right. The Tacama is simple and refreshing, with strawberries and cut grass on the nose and the same berries and some kind of watermelony thing going on the palate. A little too sweet and simple, but possessing ample acidity. Served well-chilled, the perfect complement to a pleasant evening.
According to Tacama’s website, the wine is made from 59% malbec, 26% cabernet sauvignon, 15% tannat
If you’re thirsty after strolling on Lima’s handsome boulevards, you could do worse than this wine.
Reminds me of a rosé of Tannat we had in Uruguay. It wasn’t a great wine, but it was fun to have something local-- something you wouldn’t see at home. I hope you find some more Peruvian wines while you’re there!