How to make chacha from grape pomace at home

Chacha from grape pomace is a strong alcoholic drink obtained at home. For her, grape cake is taken, on the basis of which wine was previously obtained. Therefore, it is advisable to combine two processes: obtaining wine and chacha, which will make it possible to prepare two drinks at once.

Drink Features

Chacha is a traditional Georgian drink, which is also called grape brandy. It requires grapes and alcohol to make it. In Georgia, cherry plum, figs or tangerines are added to chacha.

Chacha has an anti-inflammatory effect on the body, relieves swelling and improves blood circulation. When consumed in reasonable doses, this drink normalizes the functioning of the digestive and cardiovascular systems.

This drink is able to normalize metabolism. It is taken at the first sign of colds by adding to tea with honey and lemon.

Chacha can be taken in its pure form, but it should be remembered that this is a very strong alcoholic drink. Therefore, it is often used for making cocktails. Chacha can be mixed with ice and fresh fruit.

You should refuse to take chacha in case of individual intolerance, a tendency to allergic reactions, the presence of peptic ulcers and oncological diseases. This drink is also contraindicated for children and pregnant women.

Preparatory stage

The first step in deciding how to make chacha is the preparation of containers, moonshine and raw materials. The grape variety directly affects the taste of the resulting drink.

Tanks and equipment

To prepare chacha from grape pomace, you will need large dishes in which the pomace is obtained, as well as containers for fermenting the must and a distillation apparatus. Be sure to choose glass or enameled containers. It is not recommended to use metal containers, as the wort is oxidized.

A water seal is installed on the glass container necessary for fermentation. It can be purchased ready-made or you can use a regular rubber glove. Then a puncture is made in the glove with a needle.

Selection of raw materials

Chacha is made from grape varieties that have high acidity. It is best to choose varieties that grow in the Caucasus, in the Crimea or the Krasnodar Territory.

The taste of the drink directly depends on the choice of variety:

• white varieties give a fresh aroma and slight sourness, such a drink is quite light;
• dark varieties, like dried grapes, make chacha softer with a bright aroma;
• when mixing several varieties of grapes at home, the taste of the drink becomes deep and rich.

Chacha can be prepared on the basis of mash, on which the final taste and quality of the drink depends. At home, it is obtained from pomace or pomace of fresh grapes left after making wine.

Be sure to use fresh grapes, which are not washed before use. This allows natural yeast bacteria to remain on its surface. They provide active fermentation of the wort.

If purchased grapes are taken, then it is better to wash them. Then the addition of yeast and sugar is required for fermentation. The pomace is made by crushing the grapes by hand.

To get a drink from pomace, they will need a fairly large amount, since some of the substances from such material have already been used to make wine.

The recipe is simple

The preparation of chacha from grape pomace occurs without the use of yeast. This method takes quite a lot of time. Due to yeast, you can significantly speed up the process of obtaining a drink without compromising the aroma and taste properties.

Yeast-Free Recipe

The fermentation of traditional Georgian chacha is due to wild yeast. If desired, you can add sugar to the chacha, but the drink will partially lose its flavor.

To obtain chacha from grape pomace, the following ingredients are taken:

• cake – 12,5 kg;
• water – 25 l;
• granulated sugar – 5 kg.

If the sugar content of the berries is approximately 20%, then about 12,5 liters of homemade chacha are obtained from 2 kg of cake. The strength of the drink will be 40 degrees. If you add 5 kg of sugar, you can increase the yield of the drink to 8 liters.

A small amount of drink is obtained from the cake, so it is recommended to add sugar to increase it. If Isabella grapes are grown in the northern regions, then the addition of sugar is a must. Such grapes are characterized by high acidity and low glucose content.

How to cook chacha without yeast, you can learn from the following recipe:

1. Grape cake is placed in a container for fermentation.
2. Water and sugar are added to the container. The mass is mixed manually or with a wooden stick. There should be at least 10% free space left in the container. The rest of the volume is accounted for by carbon dioxide, which is formed during the fermentation process.

   

3. A water seal is placed on the container, after which it must be placed in the dark at a temperature of 22 to 28 degrees.
4. Fermentation takes 1 to 2 months. Sometimes this process takes 3 months.
5. Periodically, grape cake floats, so every 3 days the container is opened and mixed.
6. The completion of the fermentation process is indicated by the absence of bubbles in the water seal or by blowing off the glove. The taste of the drink becomes bitter.
7. Then the mash is drained from the rest and filtered through cheesecloth. To preserve the unique aroma, the remaining cake is hung over the alembic.
8. Braga is distilled without being divided into fractions. When the fortress is less than 30%, the selection is completed.
9. The resulting moonshine is diluted with water up to 20%, after which it is re-distilled.
10. Ten percent of the moonshine formed at the beginning must be poured out. It contains substances hazardous to health.

    

11. The product is taken until the fortress reaches 45%.
12. Homemade drink is diluted up to 40%.
13. After cooking, you need to place it in a dark, cool place in a sealed container. After 3 days, the taste of chacha stabilizes.

Recipe with yeast

The yeast method allows you to speed up the fermentation process of the wort up to 10 days. The recipe with the addition of yeast preserves the taste and aroma of the drink.

For the recipe for chacha from the squeeze, you will need the following components:

• grape pomace – 5 l;
• granulated sugar – 2,5 kg;
• yeast (50 g dry or 250 g pressed);
• water – 15 l.

The grape pomace chacha recipe includes the following steps:

1. The required amount of dry or pressed yeast must be diluted according to the instructions.
2. The pomace is placed in a container where sugar and prepared yeast are added.
3. The contents of the container are filled with warm water at a temperature of 20-25 degrees. Hot water is not used as this will kill the yeast.

   

4. The ingredients are mixed well, after which a water seal or glove should be placed on the container. The container is cleaned in a dark place with a constant temperature of no more than 30 degrees.
5. Every two days, the container must be opened and its contents mixed.
6. When the fermentation is complete (the water seal stops working or the glove sags), the drink will become bitter in taste and lighter in color.
7. Braga is drained from the sediment and filtered with gauze.
8. The distillation cube is filled with liquid and moonshine is taken until the fortress drops to 30%.
9. Before re-distillation, the mash is diluted up to 20% with water.
10. About 10% of the drink received at the beginning must be eliminated. It contains harmful substances.
11. When making chacha, you need to select moonshine until its strength is 40%.
12. The resulting drink must be diluted to 40 degrees. The final taste of chacha is formed after its exposure for 3 days in the refrigerator.

Conclusion

Chacha is a strong Georgian drink containing alcohol. It is prepared on the basis of grape pomace, which remains as a result of winemaking. The final taste is directly affected by the grape variety. Its dark varieties make the drink more intense.

Traditionally, chacha is made without the addition of sugar and yeast. However, these components will help reduce acidity, speed up the cooking process and the final amount of the drink. For the procedure, you will need fermentation tanks and a distillation apparatus.