Fiesta de la Vendimia: Peru’s One and Only Wine and Pisco Festival

February 08, 2019 | by: Urpi Herrera

The Fiesta de la Vendimia is an event to attend if your tour of Peru overlaps with this free-flowing wine and pisco festival in Ica. Wine and pisco have been grown in the fertile valleys of Ica since the 1500’s when the Spanish first introduced the grapes to South America. The dry desert air and fertile valleys of Ica were well-suited for the grapes to thrive and production immediately took off. Though pisco far surpasses wine production in Peru today, both are celebrated in the annual Fiesta de la Vendimia in Ica. Here’s everything you need to know to attend this historic and grape-centric event during your trip to Peru:

– When It Takes Place

As it has since its humble beginning in 1958, the Fiesta de la Vendimia in Ica takes place every March during the annual grape harvest, usually around the second week of March.

– What to Expect

The wine and pisco producers of Ica open their vineyards to the public for a weeklong celebration of free-flowing wine and pisco, guided tours of their production facilities, and plenty of food and dancing to keep the party going long past the barrels run dry. Oh, and did we mention there would be fireworks too?

– Why You Should Attend

Beyond the promise of a straight-from-the-source sip of Peru’s national liquor, the Fiesta de la Vendimia offers you a glimpse behind-the-scenes of the Peruvian wine and pisco-making tradition, from grape stomping to the crowning of the Queen of the Harvest. Creole music fills the air throughout and Peruvian horse shows take over the Ica haciendas. It’s a well-rounded cultural experience to include on your personalized Peru travel itinerary.

– Will You Be Attending Peru’s Next Wine and Pisco Festival in Ica?

Traveling to Peru in March? Let your Kuoda Travel Designer know if you’d like this historic festival added to your custom Peru tour itinerary. We’ll point you to all of the best participating vineyards as well as the festival’s most notable events!