In the land of Pisco... The aguapié

On the first day of the grape stomping, doing with groups of 4 men in turn, we finished at 6 p.m. and proceeded to fill the "botijas" (clay jars), with the grape juice, in the press we left what they called "the cheese", (a mass in the shape of a square with the pomace and branches). The stompers themselves put this together and then lowered the huarango press, extracting the last juice of the grapes. Don Miguel tells me that the cheese (marc, branches) was then spread in the lagar, (rectangular cement deposit), press and water was added to leave it until the next day, I was astonished "How? water? It can't be! Pisco is not made with water..." to which Miguel replied "Livio, it is not going to work, it is not business" he told me, "besides your grapes have a high concentration of sugar because of the Villacuri desert, it is the climatic conditions that help us, you will see that tomorrow once the water is added, the juice will have enough degrees (17º brix approx) to start the fermentation, leave it to me..." he told me and that's how it was. In Ica, they call this "aguapié". Stay save, drink responsabily.

From the book *Chronology of Wine and Pisco Production Lorenzo Huertas Vallejos page. 228