Today we will talk about how to cook the most delicious real Georgian chacha from Isabella grapes. This drink will decorate any holiday table. With the observance of the preparation technology, a high-quality alcoholic product is obtained, which, despite its high strength, is easy to drink and has a mild, pleasant taste.
What is chacha: description of grape drink
Chacha is called Georgian grape brandy, that is, an elite type of alcohol. People call Chachya any product of the distillation of southern fruits: peaches, apricots, cherry plums, tangerines, but the real chacha in the Caucasus is made only from Isabella and Rkatsiteli grapes. This is an ancient drink that has been prepared in Georgia for many centuries, and each self-respecting genus had its own recipes and cooking secrets that were passed on to the next generation.
In modern Georgia, this product is prepared as at home, old-fashioned way, and on an industrial scale. In both cases, the recipe, technology and taste may differ slightly. Preparing the product from unripe grapes or grape cakes by the method of single or double distillation. Then the resulting liquid is diluted with water and poured into bottles. However, sometimes chacha is not diluted with water, even despite the high level of strength.
Did you know? There is an interesting way of tasting chacha - a taster dips a finger into an alcoholic liquid and brings it to the fire. If the quality of the drink is high, the liquid will burn, and the fire will not touch the finger. If the flame burns a finger, chachu is called the word that the taster calls out from pain.
How to choose grapes
The quality and taste of the final product will depend on the choice of raw materials. Therefore, it is important to know which varieties are suitable for making a drink, and also by what criteria to select berries.
Varieties for alcohol product
Traditional varieties for making chacha are "Kachich", "Isabella" (in the territory of Abkhazia, Adjara). In the eastern part of the country, the Rkatsiteli variety is used to prepare the drink. However, if it is not possible to use these varieties, you can choose any other, the traditional place of growth of which is Georgia or the Crimea. 
When using white grades of berry drink will turn out more sour, refreshing, invigorating. But the dark varieties will give the final product a soft, rich, deep taste. Varieties are better to choose sugary - Adequate sugar levels will ensure normal fermentation processes.
Read also what useful properties the Isabella grape variety possesses and how to properly prepare Isabella wine at home
Berry requirements
For the preparation of the drink requires immature grapes, respectively, to collect the berries needed until the period of full ripening. If you use the variety "Isabella", in which the ripening time falls on September-October, you need to pick berries a couple of weeks earlier.
To collect it is important to choose a dry, sunny, windless day. In no case can not harvest in rainy or wet weather, because the water will wash away the yeast plaque from the peel.
Important! The main rule in the preparation of chacha - in no case do not wash the grapes, because so washed off the white patina, which contains natural wild grape yeast. Without them, the fermentation process will become impossible.
Step by step process with photos
Next, we will consider step by step the process of preparing a product from the berries of the Isabella variety.
Cooking Braga
For the preparation of home brew will need the following ingredients:
- 10 kg of berries;
- 15 liters of spring or filtered water (to be added at different stages of preparation);
- 5 kg of granulated sugar (can be taken to taste).
You also need to prepare a large container - it is best to use a glass bottle of 20-30 l, a crusher for berries and a long wooden paddle for stirring.
- Berries do not need to be washed, separated from the bunch. It is necessary to use grapes together with ridges and stones. Grind it with a special grinder or carefully rub hands.
- Add sugar to the mixture, pour in 5-7 liters of water, the temperature of which should be within + 25 ° C.
- Transfer the grape mixture to a glass bowl and cover with a water seal. The container should be removed in a dark, warm place with a temperature of + 22-28 ° C.
- On average, for 3-4 days fermentation begins. In this case, the pulp floats up. It needs to be drowned several times a day with a wooden spatula. Firstly, this way chacha feeds on the aroma and taste of the combs and peel, secondly, the pulp cannot sour and spoil the entire drink.
- Leave the mixture for 3-4 weeks.
Important! The container cannot be filled to the top, otherwise the mixture will pour out during fermentation: you should leave about 10-15 cm of space to the edge.
When gas formation ends, the brag can be considered ready for further processing. If you use grape cake, it must be filled with water at the rate of 15-16 liters per 10 kg of raw material.
Video: Abkhaz chacha at home
Separate the juice
This stage is extremely simple and consists in filtering the product. It is advisable to use a sieve and gauze to carefully separate the solid particles, because if they get into the moonshine can burn them and spoil the taste of the final drink.
We advise you to read about how to make homemade champagne, wine, grape juice and raisins from grapes.
Distilling the mash
The process of the distillation of chacha coincides in many respects with that in the distillation of moonshine. There are two process options:
- single distillation - The final product will be more saturated, but it will contain many third-party, hazardous substances to health;
- double distillation - the output will be a pure distillate with a mild taste and without fusel odor and hazardous substances, which, among other things, cause a severe hangover.
Important! During distillation, it is necessary to use an alcohol meter to determine when the liquid needs to be divided into fractions.
Let's look at how the distillation process takes place:
- Place chacha in a still. Perform the distillation procedure without separating the liquid into fractions.
- To the amount of liquid, add 5-6 liters of water.
- In the process of the second distillation, 10-12% of the first liquid and the same amount of liquid obtained at the end must be drained. The latter merges when the fortress begins to decrease to 45 °.
- Now you can clean the drink with gauze and activated carbon. To do this, it is necessary to place a layer of gauze and a few tablets of activated carbon on the bottom of the watering can, then skip the drink in a thin stream.
- At the final stage, you need to add the residual amount of water to bring the product to the desired strength.
Video: Homemade chacha from grapes. First distillation
According to this recipe should be about 5 liters of chacha. However, the amount of the final product will depend on the sugar content of the grapes, the amount of sugar you added, the particular preparation, so we indicate only the approximate amount of the drink at the outlet.
The most popular among the dark varieties are "Jupiter", "Kesha", "Monarch", "Amur", "Cabernet", "Moldova", "Cardinal". The berries of these varieties produce very fragrant, moderately sweet drinks, as these grape varieties have very low acidity.
Spill and storage of chacha from "Isabella"
After the second distillation and purification, the product can be poured into glass bottles. It is allowed to consume the drink directly after preparation, however, for a richer taste and aroma, it is kept for 30-45 days in a dark place, and the temperature should not be below + 15-20 ° C. Thus, chacha matures and acquires unique notes of aroma and taste.
To get a first-class product, after double distillation, tea can be poured into oak barrels. The duration of exposure may be different. For example, if you leave the chacha in a wooden barrel for several years, you will receive an incomparable noble drink with a wonderful aroma. It is strictly forbidden to keep a drink in plastic containers, as alcohol will change the taste and aroma and will be spoiled.
Did you know? In 1945, at the Yalta Conference of the Allied States, chacha was presented from Stalin as a gift to Churchill and Roosevelt. At that time, this drink has not yet had worldwide fame.
Grape chacha: features and rules of use
In order to enjoy your drink and not lead to undesirable consequences, you should follow simple recommendations:
- Alcohol is served on the table in ordinary vodka glasses.
- Serving temperature depends on the quality of the drink. If chacha is well cleaned and aged, it can be served without pre-cooling. The average quality product is better to cool to 10 ° C.
- Snack to alcohol may be different. For example, in different parts of Georgia they serve sweet or salty dishes. But in most cases everything that is in the house is put on the table. Hard cheeses, traditional Georgian dishes, meat dishes, salads, and fruits are perfectly combined with the drink.
- In order to avoid strong intoxication and morning hangover chacha should not be mixed with other alcoholic beverages.
Homemade wine can be made from many fruits and berries: grapes, plums, apples, yoshta, chokeberry, black currant, rose petals, and raspberries and cranberries at home make a tasty liqueur.
It is also worth remembering the amount consumed, because it is an alcoholic beverage, and an uncontrolled fascination with it can have disastrous consequences. By the way, the Georgians themselves are very respectful of this product, they drink it in a small glass a day during the cold season. Like any alcoholic beverage, the product has contraindications for use: the period of pregnancy and breastfeeding, any diseases of the heart and blood vessels, problems with the gastrointestinal tract (ulcer, gastritis, etc.), children's age.
With the observance of the technology of preparation and measures in the use of negative effects from taking chacha will not occur. Alcohol has a mild, slightly tart, deep taste and a warming effect, in small doses it has a tonic, anti-inflammatory and anti-cough effect. We are sure that, having prepared a similar drink, you will surely manage to surprise your guests!
