chacha is an eau-de-vie from Georgia, in the Caucasus, and can be made from sea buckthorn or mulberry, but most frequently, like grappa or marc, is made from the leftover detritus of winemaking. See grappa and marc. Since Georgia was the wine basket for the former Soviet Union, the chacha tradition remained strong.
Taste chacha alongside its European equivalents, and the difference is apparent. The secret is the way the Georgians traditionally make their wine. Instead of pressing the grapes, wringing them dry, they pump the juice off the skins. This translates into a plump spirit, especially if you’re a wine maker with a generous nature.
The traditional production method is to place the leftover wine-making material in a sealed bin to re-ferment over a month, though some people let it go much longer. Then, the concoction is moistened with wine or vinegar and poured into a wood-fired rustic pot still. The best chacha is aged for two years, in either qvevri (the buried clay vessel in which locals make wine) or in old barrels, since they won’t give the spirit any pronounced woody flavors. At 45–65 percent ABV, it’s potent stuff, but as the locals say, “Chacha is the direct path to heaven.” And sometimes it’s also a path to healing, as it is the first course of treatment for ailments from indigestion to random fevers. See health and spirits.
See also eau-de-vie.
Feiring, Alice. For the Love of Wine: My Odyssey through The World’s Most Ancient Wine Culture. Lincoln, NE: Potomac, 2016.
By: Alice Feiring