Chilean Agriculture Minister Esteban Valenzuela said that Peru's push to present historical documentation to UNESCO to explain the origins of pisco does not represent a "danger" for Chile.
In the last few hours, representing the Chilean Government, the Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela, headed the Pisco Advisory Council at the Pereira Palace, in the commune of Santiago.
It was a key meeting that lasted almost two hours, as the situation that has arisen regarding the inscription of historical manuscripts that have been interpreted as supporting the Peruvian origin of pisco was analyzed.
DEFENSE OF CHILEAN PISCO
The Secretary of State said that Peru's offensive, which will present historical documentation to UNESCO to account for the origin of pisco, does not represent a "danger" for Chile.
He argued that the recognition of Chilean pisco “is international and is legally protected by the Designation of Origin and free trade agreements.”
“We have 20 free trade agreements involving 46 countries, which recognize Chilean pisco and hopefully we will not continue wasting time having to defend ourselves in courts in different countries, because Peru wants to have the exclusivity of something that is not exclusive and that Chile has a designation of origin, which is almost 100 years old, since 1931,” said Minister Valenzuela.
In parallel, the Ministry of Agriculture will support the “Chilean Pisco Vitivinicultural Cultural Landscape” project presented by the Association of Chilean Pisco Producers, which seeks to incorporate the Chilean pisco cultural landscape into the UNESCO World Heritage List.
“We have been asked to apply in 2025, to speed up the pace so that they can recognize our extraordinary pisco landscape, a wonderful place, this is an industry of almost 10,000 hectares, with many cooperatives, small pisco farmers (…),” said Valenzuela.
GOVERNMENT EMPHASIZES SUPPORT FOR FISHING INDUSTRY
Regarding the Pisco Denomination of Origin, the Undersecretary of International Economic Relations, Claudia Sanhueza, added that Chile has promoted a strategy of coexistence of homonymous denominations of origin as a “practical and respectful solution” to international intellectual property standards.
“This has helped us to win recognition of the Pisco Chile Designation of Origin from the world's largest economies, such as the United States, the European Union and China, among others, in the negotiations of our various economic and trade agreements,” he said.
“The pisco industry is very important to the Chilean government, not only because of what it represents for our export sector, but also because of its relevance for our regions of Atacama and Coquimbo (…). We will continue to carry out all communication, legal and diplomatic actions to promote this Designation of Origin and thus fulfill the defense and promotion of Chilean pisco,” he added.
And from ProChile, its general director Ignacio Fernández stated that the institution took on “the challenge of promoting pisco globally, highlighting its many attributes.”
Together with the Pisco Chile association, he stressed that they have promoted a strategy in international markets that aims to increase the knowledge, visibility and consumption of this spirit, "which is an increasingly relevant ambassador for our exports and country image."
"We are optimistic, because between January and November of this year, the amount exported reached around US$ 5 million, which means almost 39% more than in the same period of 2023," said the general director of ProChile.
Regarding Peru's new offensive, Francisco Munizaga Muñoz, president of the Association of Pisco Producers AG Pisco Chile, emphasized the culture behind pisco.
Along the same lines, the director of the National Cultural Heritage Service, Nélida Pozo, explained that “Chile has seven world heritage sites,” but in this case it is a cultural heritage site.
