Editing Pisco (section)

===Early Aguardientes===
[[File:Piscosingani.jpg|thumb|Zones of pisco production as established by Peruvian and Chilean law in red; the Department of Tarija, [[Bolivia]], where most [[singani]] is produced in green]]
Unlike the land in most of the [[Viceroyalty of New Spain]], where only very few vineyards were established (mostly for the production of [[sacramental wine]]), some locations in the [[Viceroyalty of Peru]] were quite suitable for growing grape vines. By 1560, Peru was already producing wine for commerce; over time, a significant wine industry arose in the region.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Rice |first=Prudence M. |title=The Archaeology of Wine: The Wine and Brandy Haciendas of Moquegua, Peru |journal=Journal of Field Archaeology |date=January 1996 |volume=23 |issue=2 |pages=187–204 |doi=10.1179/009346996791973936}}</ref><ref name=Huertas>{{cite journal |last=Huertas Vallejos |first=Lorenzo |title=Historia de la producción de vinos y piscos en el Perú |trans-title=History of the production of wines and piscos in Peru |language=es |journal=Universum |date=2004 |volume=19 |issue=2 |doi=10.4067/S0718-23762004000200004 |doi-access=free}}</ref> It grew sufficiently strong and threatening to the Spanish [[mercantilist]] policies that in 1595 the [[Spanish Crown]] banned the establishment of new vineyards in the Americas to protect the exports of its native wine industry; however, this order was largely ignored.<ref name=Huertas/> As further protectionist measures, the Crown forbade exportation of Peruvian wine to Panama in 1614 and Guatemala in 1615.<ref name=Huertas/>

In 1572, Santa Maria Magdalena, a town in Peru, had a port by the name ''Pisco''. Pisco became a crucial route for distribution of an alcoholic beverage&nbsp;– aguardiente. Port of Pisco shortened the name to just Pisco, which was the name of the grape liqueur that was originated in the area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thepiscopeople.com.au/history-of-pisco/|title=History of Pisco|website=The Pisco People|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-03}}</ref>

Distillation of the wine into pisco began in earnest around the turn of the 17th century, perhaps in response to these pressures.<ref name=Huertas/> Until the early 18th century, however, most aguardiente was still primarily used to fortify wine, in order to prevent its oxidation, rather than drunk on its own. This method of conservation corresponds with fortified wines that were shipped to Italy and Spain from other parts of the world ''e.g.'', wines from [[Madeira wine|Madeira]] and [[Marsala wine|Marsala]].

In the 17th century, production and consumption of wine and pisco were stimulated by the mining activities in [[Potosí]], by then the largest city in the New World.<ref name=Huertas/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/472778/Potosi|title=Potosi – Bolivia}}</ref>