What’s the best wine you’ve ever had at high altitude?

I recently spent two weeks in Peru on vacation. I really can’t write anything without saying a big thank you to my brother, Alex, and the rest of the team here at SB for letting me sneak away for two weeks without email or cell phone.

My adventures in Peru started in Cusco which is at an elevation of 10,912 ft (for comparison, our own Mt Hood is 11,249ft). This wasn’t meant to be a culinary or wine trip but rather an outdoor adventure and cultural trip. So I hadn’t researched the wine regions of Peru and only knew that I wanted to try a real Pisco Sour. I looked at the wine list whenever I dined out. I was disappointed to see that the Peruvian selections were small or non-existent and the lists mostly offered wines from Chile and Argentina. I kept coming across one producer on almost every wine list: Tacama. They produced a white blend called Blanco de Blancos that’s a blend of Sauv Blanc, Viognier, and Chardonnay. I tried it at several different elevations and it tasted great everywhere. It reminded me a lot of our own Evolution. It came from the Ica region, which I did not get the chance to visit.

To be honest though, I didn’t do much drinking. After spending a few days adjusting to the altitude, I trekked 40 kilometers along the Inka Trail to Machu Picchu. All I wanted when I arrived at Machu Picchu was a huge cheeseburger and a cold beer (so American, I know). Now that I’m back at sea level, I’m back to drinking Pinot Noir, Rosé, and anything else that finds its way into my glass.