Chacha is Georgia's traditional pomace brandy, made for centuries by farmers who refused to waste the grape leftovers of winemaking, fermenting and distilling them in home stills. Often called Georgian grappa or vine vodka, a homemade bottle is a point of family pride and a fixture of every supra feast.
It is clear and searing, hitting the throat with high-proof heat and a rush of grapey, floral warmth. Behind the burn sits a clean fruit aroma and a long, warming finish. Sipped neat and ice-cold, it is bracing, celebratory, and not for the faint-hearted.
Fermentation converts the residual sugars in the pomace to alcohol, and distillation then separates ethanol and aromatic compounds from water by their lower boiling point, concentrating the spirit and its grape-derived flavors.
Variations
Aged oak-barrel versions go amber; fruit chacha from figs or tangerines; flavored with herbs in some homes.
On the Palate
Where Chacha sits in the Georgian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 20How it's made
8 steps · 30 min
- 130 min
Collect grape pomace (skins, pulp, stalks) left after pressing for wine.
- 215 min
Combine the pomace with water in a fermentation vessel.
- 32880 min
Let it ferment with wild or added yeast until bubbling stops, over several days.
Watch outFermentation's done when the bubbling stops and the mash smells sharp and winey — still fizzing means the sugars aren't fully converted.
- 415 min
Transfer the fermented mash to a pot still.
- 530 min
Distill slowly over gentle heat, discarding the harsh first runnings (the heads).
Watch outDiscard the harsh first runnings — the heads smell solvent-sharp and sting the nose; keep them and the spirit tastes rough.
- 630 min
Collect the clear middle cut, monitoring strength and aroma.
- 75 min
Stop before the weak tails to keep the spirit clean.
Watch outCut off the tails once the running turns weak and watery-thin — carry on and cloudy, off-flavored liquid muddies the clean spirit.
- 820 min
Rest the chacha; dilute to drinking strength and bottle.
