In the vintage people dance and drink cachina, because the party would not be the same without that juice of mature grape, fermented for about eight days, soft and easy to drink, but also treacherous because of its high alcoholic content. Groups of young people organize processions full of revel.

There are parties in the streets and in the squares. The last night the yunza is carried out, a traditional dance loaded with reminiscences and propitious for love declarations.

Couples take each other hands and walk around a sallow. They come closer to the tree, when making it they drink cachina and tap-dance for a while. Then, with the axe that men carry in their shoulders, they try to cut the trunk. One, two, three axe hits, if the sallow falls, the couple is the winner. It will be the best treated during the party and will take charge of organizing the next yunza; but that is not everything, locals say that the winners have the happiness assured during the year and, if the woman is single, her final destination will be the altar.

The International Festival of the Vintage is a good pretext to visit Ica and to discover the charms of this noble city, founded in 1563 by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera, as Villa de Valverde del Valle de Ica. Of republican atmosphere and rustic calm, Ica is a welcoming and eminently religious city.

The Sanctuary of El Señor de Luren, is a "must to visit". The temple keeps the image of the Patron of the city, a Christ that has become black due to the smoke of the incense. The Regional Museum of Ica that shows fossils, mummies and mantels of the Paracas and Nasca cultures, the Vista Alegre cellar, founded in 1857 and considered the biggest in the country, and the Huacachina Lagoon, an oasis 5 kilometers from the city, are only some of the places that should be visited.

Located at four hours from Lima by road, Ica enjoys a warm and dry climate. The temperature average is 27°C in summer and 18°C in winter; in addition, it has an appropriate hotel infrastructure and excellent restaurants. A final recommendation, try a chupe of pallares, a saltado and a picante de choclo, a pork or chicken tamalito, a teja to have a sweet memory and drink a long sip of cachina to the vintage and the city of Ica.

Texts and photographs: Rolly Valdivia Chavez