Fiesta de la Vendimia: The Ica Wine & Pisco Harvest Festival (March Guide)
A connoisseur's celebration of South America's oldest vineyards, estate Pisco, and vibrant Afro-Peruvian rhythms in the sun-drenched Ica desert.
Nestled amid the towering golden dunes of Paracas and Ica on Peru's southern coast lies an emerald oasis: the Ica Valley. Fed by subterranean Andean aquifers and blessed with year-round sunshine, this desert valley is home to the oldest continuously operating vineyards in South America—and the birthplace of Pisco, Peru's flagship grape spirit.
Every March, as the summer grape harvest reaches its peak, the valley celebrates the Festival Internacional de la Vendimia (International Wine Harvest Festival), one of the most spirited epicurean events on Peru's cultural calendar. For the luxury traveler, it offers an intimate immersion into 16th-century viticulture, Afro-Peruvian music, and coastal gastronomy and enology.
The Tradition of the Grape Treading (La Pisa de Uvas)
The symbolic centerpiece of the festival is the traditional Pisa de Uvas. While Ica's premier estates employ modern French and Italian fermentation technology for their reserve wines and copper falca stills for their Pisco, the March harvest honors the 16th-century colonial tradition where festival queens and guests step barefoot into historic stone and cedar lagares (pressing vats) to crush the freshly harvested grapes at dusk.
Accompanied by live guitars, cajón percussion, and toasts of freshly pressed sweet grape must (cachina), the ceremony connects visitors directly to four centuries of coastal winemaking heritage.
Enjoy private sommelier-led tastings of single-varietal Pisco Puro, Mosto Verde, and Acholado at the oldest vineyards in the Americas.
A Symphony of Flavors: Afro-Peruvian Culture & Coastal Cuisine
The Ica region (including neighboring Chincha) is the heartland of Afro-Peruvian culture. Throughout the Vendimia, historic hacienda courtyards echo with the syncopated rhythm of the Peruvian cajón, the quijada, and the celebratory steps of the Festejo and Alcatraz dances, alongside exhibitions of Peruvian Paso horses.
The culinary pairings are equally memorable: estate chefs prepare regional classics such as slow-braised Carapulcra con Sopa Seca, pallares (heirloom Ica lima beans), and fresh Paracas scallops, paired with crisp desert white wines and artisanal Pisco cocktails.
Curating a Connoisseur's Vendimia Experience
At Luxury Machu Picchu, we transform the Vendimia from a public festival into a private, behind-the-scenes epicurean retreat integrated into our 10-Day Nazca Lines, Paracas & Machu Picchu Package:
- Private Historic Hacienda Access: We arrange private cellar tours and vertical tastings at Hacienda Tacama (South America's oldest vineyard, established in the 1540s), Hacienda La Caravedo (home to the oldest working distillery in the Americas, founded in 1684), and Viñas Queirolo.
- Master Distiller Pisco Sessions: Sit down privately with a master distiller to taste the eight noble Pisco grape varietals—comparing non-aromatic grapes (Quebranta, Negra Criolla, Mollar) with aromatic expressions (Italia, Torontel, Moscatel, Albilla) and prized Mosto Verde reserves.
- Vineyard & Oceanfront Luxury Stays: Wake up surrounded by desert vines at Hotel Viñas Queirolo in the Ica foothills, or unwind 45 minutes away in an oceanfront suite at Hotel Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort.
Beyond the Vineyards: Nazca Lines, Paracas & Huacachina
A March journey to the Ica Valley pairs effortlessly with the icons of Peru's southern coast before flying onward to Cusco and Machu Picchu: board a private Cessna Grand Caravan flight over the Nazca Lines from nearby Pisco Airport, charter a private yacht to the Ballestas Islands in Paracas, and enjoy a sunset luxury desert camp amid the towering dunes of Huacachina.
Taste the Noble Spirit of Peru
Elevate your exploration of Peruvian viticulture and coastal luxury. Contact our travel architects to weave private hacienda tastings, Paracas yacht charters, and Nazca Lines flights into your March itinerary.
Fiesta de la Vendimia in Ica FAQ
When does the Fiesta de la Vendimia take place in Ica?
The International Wine & Pisco Harvest Festival (Festival Internacional de la Vendimia) takes place every year during the first two weeks of March in the sun-drenched Ica Valley, coinciding with the peak summer grape harvest on Peru's southern coast.
Which historic vineyards in Ica offer the best private luxury tastings?
We arrange private, sommelier-led tastings at Hacienda Tacama—the oldest vineyard in South America, founded in the 1540s—as well as Viñas Queirolo (surrounded by desert vineyard views at the foothills of the Andes) and Hacienda La Caravedo (home to the oldest working distillery in the Americas, established in 1684).
Can we combine the Ica Wine Harvest Festival with Paracas and the Nazca Lines?
Yes. The Ica Valley sits just 45 minutes inland from the luxury oceanfront resorts of Paracas Bay and Pisco Airport—allowing you to combine private vineyard tastings with a private yacht charter to the Ballestas Islands, a scenic flight over the Nazca Lines, and a sunset desert camp in Huacachina.