Vitivinicultura andina: difusión, medio ambiente y adaptación cultural

Andean viniculture can be seen as a complex, which consists of the grapevine, the grape, vineyard, wine, distillate and relevant technology, all of which reached western South America from Spain. Spaniards had religious, economic and cultural motives to introduce Vitis vinifera to the coastal and highland valleys below 2,600 m of Peru and Bolivia. As long as the Spaniards and especially the Jesuits were in control, viniculture flourished. Since the 19th century, production has declined and several wine regions have disappeared. Ecological conditions are not ideal for good-quality wine and the large native population consumes little. Andean viniculture is a story of remarkable diffusion, but one of only partial environmental adaptation and incomplete cultural integration.