Contents
What’s the question
Grappa and chacha are strong alcoholic drinks that are similar in nature, but radically different in terms of the raw materials used and production technology.
Vzboltay explains why grappa and chacha are not the same thing.
Map
Grappa comes from Italy, from its northern part.
Chacha is produced in Georgia and Abkhazia, while since 2011 Georgia has a patent for it, like France for cognac.
Raw
In the production of grappa and chacha, the most common local grape varieties are used.
For grappa – trebiano, moscato, brachetto, arneis, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, nebbiolo, barbera and others. The pulp is mainly used – spent cake, stems and bones. For premium varieties, pomace after the production of elite wines can be used, in which up to 30% of the juice remains. Only recently has grappa been made from whole berries, but so far these are only rare exceptions.
For chacha – rkatsiteli in Georgia, isabella and kachich in Abkhazia. When distilled, whole bunches of unripe grapes can also be used. It depends on the area – where grapes grow in abundance, chacha is made from it.
Processing of raw materials
In Italy, during the production of grappa, the pulp is treated with hot water vapor, which softens it, but at the same time kills the remaining yeast cultures. To start the fermentation process, you have to add pre-prepared yeast.
In the production of chacha, pomace is diluted with cold water, and the fermentation process occurs naturally with the help of wild yeast.
Distillation
In the production of grappa, it is necessary to cut off the head and tail fractions, which reduces the amount of harmful impurities in the finished drink.
This is not done for chacha, due to which its aroma and taste are richer, but the content of fusel oil and other impurities is higher.
Exposure
Both grappa and chacha can be aged in barrels, but this is not a mandatory step – there is no minimum period for these drinks.
Grappa is aged in French Limousin oak barrels, as well as chestnut and wild cherry barrels, some manufacturers additionally insist chacha on herbs and fruits.
Chacha is aged in Caucasian oak barrels, while the addition of foreign components is not allowed – Georgians will consider such chacha not real.
Classification
There are several age categories for grappa, which you can learn more about “here” (link to grappa). Samples of different categories are very different from each other, so you can roughly understand what the drink will be like by the designation on the label.
Chacha is not always kept, more often it is only allowed to brew for a couple of weeks. Some producers use barrels, but there are no specific age requirements. Therefore, it remains to believe the statements on the label.
Blending
Grappa is most often blended – alcohols from different batches or different years of aging are mixed. In addition to the additional variety of characteristics, blending allows you to keep the style and quality of grappa from year to year at the same level.
Chacha is not blended, so samples from different batches often differ from each other.
Fortress
The strength of grappa varies from 36% to 55%, while for the most part it depends on the aging category.
The strength of chacha depends on the manufacturer. Chacha from the factory has a strength of 40-45%, while small or private and home producers can produce a drink with a strength of up to 70%.
How to drink
Grappa often acts as a digestif, it fills a pause when changing dishes, they drink it on their own. It is widely used in cooking, cocktails are prepared on its basis.
Chacha is perfect with hearty Georgian dishes, cheeses, fruits and grilled meat. They do not drink it much, because due to the mild taste, alcohol is almost not felt – you can quickly get drunk.
Conclusion
Grappa and chacha, for all their similarities, are opposites of each other. Grappa is an elegant and sophisticated drink, suitable even for important occasions. Chacha is bright and expressive, appropriate for friendly gatherings and outdoor recreation.
grappa: a guide to alcohol
Relevance: 29.06.2021
Tags: brandy and cognac