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Food & Pisco

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Harvesting of the grapes and stomping them while dancing in a wine press, is an ancient tradition still practiced at the wineries in the south of the country. A vineyard in the countryside, several clay containers in the patio, a press “carpeted" with bunches of grapes, is the scene that is set for a tempting night; A strident percussive box and two lithe dancers who start stomping the grapes to the rhythm and cadence of the box. A few glasses of Pisco, even more bottles of Cachina... and the tempting night becomes a frenzied whirlwind of comings and goings of glasses raised in toasts, rounds of fervent and interminable dancers; and then, the air is heavy with the fresh and sweet aroma as the old press sweats out the grape juice that will become the smooth but intoxicating Cachina. They dance and laugh, they drink and stomp the grapes, with grace, without shoes or socks, so as to not slip and fall, ignoring the heat and drinking Cachina... delicious, sweet and tricky. They drink one glass after another to the point of drunkenness, falling victim to the alcoholic blows of this delicious licor that ferments for an average of 8 days.

With Cachina, according to the lab, the production process begins when the grape reaches a level of between 200 and 280 g/L of sugar. Once the grapes have been harvested, they are selected and pressed, first removing the stems to avoid any bitterness. Following, the must is poured into the fermentation barrels which are generally made of cement and are built in to the ground. This is so that the temperature of the process does not vary excessively with the changes in weather. The alcoholic fermentation begins in the barrels due to the naturally occurring yeast, and as a rule no commercial yeasts are added.

The fermentation process lasts between 8 to 10 days and Cachina is generally consumed within the first 30 days after the fermentation. It has a characteristic of being highly acid due to the presence of liquid CO2, which gives it a bubbly sensation on the palate and highly variable alcohol content, depending on the amount of sugar fermented. There are several types of Cachina that come from the afore mentioned steps –essentially the juice that comes from the press, and after undergoing a fermentation process of up to eight or nine days yielding "Cachina", which regardless of its traditional or technical origin, becomes the drink during the first few months of the year, of Iqueños and visitors alike.

It should be pointed out that this initial Cachina is known as "Cachina Dulce" or sweet Cachina. Alter a few days, it looses its sweetness and becomes "Cachina Seca" or dry Cachina which is more sought after by connoisseurs. However, the drink’s process does not stop there, as it goes through several strainings (generally three) changing its containers each time. This then becomes known as "Cachina Colada" or strained Cachina, which s what is more commonly found up until the latter months of the year being more sought after as time goes by. The best quality Chachina is achieved by storing it in the appropriate environment, which generally should be cool and dry.