How to make chacha from grape marc. How to make chacha - step-by-step recipes with video.

Almost every resident of Georgia knows how to make chacha from grapes. After all, the represented state is the birthplace of such an alcoholic drink. However, this does not mean that such fruit vodka is not prepared in other areas. Moreover, I chachu in other Caucasian countries They are made not only from grapes, but also from tangerines, figs, oranges, and cherry plums.

Chacha from grapes at home: how to prepare

Required components:

• grape cake remaining after making wine - 15 kg;
• granulated sugar - 5 kg;
• purified drinking water - 5 l.

Selection and processing of the main ingredient

Grape chacha at home is prepared only from unripe fruits and berries. However, some families Caucasian people make one like this alcoholic drink from the cake that remains from the wine. It is this product that can ferment well, which will subsequently affect the strength of vodka and its taste.

Drink preparation process

Grape chacha at home should be prepared in a large glass bottle. You need to place all the grape pomace in it, and then add granulated sugar and pour in the purified drinking water. Next, you need to mix the components, cover loosely with a lid or gauze and leave in this state for 5-7 days. It is worth noting that the higher the room temperature, the faster the drink will ferment.

During the fermentation process, grape chacha prepared at home must be stirred at least once a day (preferably with a wooden stick).

Afterwards, it is necessary to remove all the floating pulp from the surface of the fermented mixture, and pour the remaining mash into the distillation apparatus. After the first processing, chacha is considered ready, but many experts on this issue argue that a second distillation is urgently needed, which will remove all its fusel smell from the drink.

The final stage in preparation

When the second distillation of fruit vodka is completed, the resulting alcoholic drink should be poured into dry and clean bottles, and then placed in a not very warm and dark place for about 38-40 days. During this time, the chacha will infuse, and it can be safely served at the holiday table.

How to check the quality of a drink

As you can see, preparing chacha from grapes can take many months. But such a long wait will definitely be worth it. After all, a drink made according to the recipe described above has an exquisite taste and aroma of grapes, which every invited guest will appreciate during the festive feast.

In order to check the quality of your own homemade chacha, you should dip your finger into it and immediately set it on fire. If the drink burns completely without leaving a burn, then the fruit vodka is made correctly. By the way, real Georgian chacha made from grapes gives a calming effect and never causes a hangover. In addition, no mixtures or cocktails can be made from this drink, since it should be consumed exclusively in its pure form.

Moonshine obtained by distilling mash from grapes is called grape vodka or chacha. Widespread I received this drink in southern regions. Raw materials for producing grape vodka are available everywhere in these regions. However, making chacha from pure grape juice is enough expensive pleasure. The sugar content in the berry does not exceed 10-12% and to obtain moonshine you will need it large number. Therefore, to prepare grape moonshine, grape pomace remaining as a result of grape processing is usually used. The sugar and yeast contained in it make it possible to obtain good grape vodka from their cake.

Getting mash

You can prepare mash from grape pomace in several ways, both with the addition of sugar and yeast, and without adding these ingredients. To prepare mash, you can use either unfermented pomace or pomace that was used in the preparation of wine. If the mash is prepared from fermented cake, then its quantity should be doubled compared to the cake that did not participate in fermentation.

Mash recipe without sugar and yeast

To prepare this moonshine you only need water. The recipe does not include adding sugar or yeast. Cake in the amount of 10 kg is poured into 30-35 l warm water and is removed to a warm place for fermentation. This recipe for making mash involves a long period of fermentation. The wild yeast contained on the skin of the grapes begins to process the sugar remaining in the pomace into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Wild yeast is less active than its cultivated counterparts, and The sugar content in the product is not enough. Therefore, the fermentation process of the cake itself can take up to 70-80 days. The floating cake should be stirred or shaken to prevent the formation of mold.

In order to prevent the formation of vinegar during such a slow fermentation, the product must be reliably protected from interaction with atmospheric oxygen. For these purposes, water seals are usually used. various types, which you can make yourself, or rubber gloves. This recipe is good because the alcohol-containing liquid resulting from the fermentation of the cake does not require additional clarification. To prepare moonshine, simply carefully pour it into a distillation cube, leaving the sediment and fermented cake in the container.

The recipe for making such mash from cake has a drawback in addition to the duration of fermentation - the low alcohol content in the resulting alcohol-containing liquid. Moonshine obtained from grape pomace, quite soft, has a pleasant grape aroma and aftertaste.

Recipe for mash with added sugar and yeast

To prepare grape moonshine according to this recipe for 10 kg of marc you will need:

• 35 liters of water
• 5 kg sugar
• 30-40 g dry yeast

All this is mixed in a container until the sugar is completely dissolved in the water. There should be 15-20 percent left in the container free space necessary for the foam formed during the fermentation process. Yeast can be used dry or pressed, used for baking. There is practically no difference between them, with proper distillation no smell from them

grape vodka will not be present. You can also not add yeast; the cake contains spores of wild fungi, which, in the presence of a rich nutrient medium, multiply quite quickly. The process of obtaining the wort itself will not increase much, but will allow you to proudly say that the resulting moonshine is prepared without adding yeast.

After 2-3 days, vigorous fermentation begins with active release carbon dioxide. The recipe involves stirring the cake several times a day until it settles to the bottom of the container. Adding sugar and yeast will reduce the processing of sugar-containing foods to 12-14 days. Fermentation must take place without access to oxygen, which oxidizes alcohol and leads to the formation of vinegar. Optimal temperature, at which fermentation occurs, should be 18-24 O C. After the active phase of fermentation has passed, the resulting grape mash is clarified with various additives or left for post-fermentation and clarification. After the mash has been clarified, it is carefully drained and distilled into moonshine.

Distillation of mash into chacha

It is better to distill grape moonshine using a device equipped with a steam chamber or having a distillation column. At the same time, to obtain good chacha with a grape flavor, double distillation will be required. Before starting distillation, you can add to the alcohol-containing liquid small quantity soda (1 g per 1 liter of liquid), this will neutralize the acetic acid present in the solution. The process of distilling grape moonshine follows carried out in two stages.

At the first stage, the liquid is heated to a temperature of 60-65°C. Aldehydes, acids and esters actively released during this process are drained off. Ingesting them is dangerous for the body. Typically, up to 5% of low-boiling liquids are cut off from the resulting product. Next, the liquid is heated to 80-85°C and the main part of the distillation product is taken, approximately 75-80% of the output. The intake is carried out until the strength of the outgoing moonshine drops to 35 degrees.

Next, the tails are selected, which can be added to the mash during subsequent distillations. The grape moonshine obtained after the first distillation is purified; this can be done using potassium permanganate or carbon filters, which reduce the content of harmful substances in it. Before re-distillation, grape moonshine is diluted with water in a 2:1 ratio. As a result of the second distillation, chacha is obtained with a slight taste of grapes and no further purification should be carried out.

Isabella grapes make good things homemade wine, waste from wine production in the form of pulp can be used to make moonshine.

Moonshine made from grapes, as Georgian chacha is called, in Italy this drink is called grappa. The recipe for the common moonshine made from Isabella grapes is simple and easy to repeat at home.

For the recipe you will need the following ingredients:

• Grape pomace from Isabella - 10 liters,
• 20-30 liters of clean spring water,
• 5kg sugar,
• Some recipes contain 100 g of yeast.

Before making moonshine according to the recipe from Isabella, you need to prepare necessary equipment- fermentation container, jars for moonshine, distillation still.

Making moonshine from grapes

There are several ways to prepare moonshine, first of all we collect the grapes; under no circumstances wash the berries, as they contain wild yeast. Squeeze the juice from the harvested grapes. For squeezing at home, special presses and juicers are used, or you can use your hands; you can press together with the twigs. We use the separated juice for wine or brandy, and from the pulp we make wort or mash.

We transfer the juices into a stainless steel fermentation vessel, or use enamel pan, add 3-5 liters clean water, take clean water without impurities, cover the top of the fermentation chamber with gauze. After 3-4 days, a foam cap forms on the surface of the wort. At this time, add 30 liters of water to the container, add 5 kilograms of sugar. It’s good if you have a sugar meter, the density of the wort should be 18-20%. The recipe contains yeast, but as mentioned above, yeast is present on the grapes, so if fermentation is going well, then we do not add yeast.

If you still decide to use them, then purchase special wine or alcohol ones. It is not advisable to use pressed baker's yeast; it leaves an unpleasant odor in the final product.

We place the fermentation container for a week in warm place 25-28 degrees, for secondary fermentation. Every day you need to stir the mash, heat the cap, monitor the sugar and taste it. As soon as the mash begins to taste bitter, carbon dioxide (bubbles) ceases to be released, and the sugar in the wort is close to zero, which means the fermentation process is complete. Let's start distilling the mash.

First distillation of moonshine

To make it high quality and tasty homemade moonshine With the characteristic smell of Isabella grapes, distillation must be done twice. During the first distillation, we expel the raw aromatic alcohol from the mash. We distill without crushing at maximum power, if you happy owner steam-water boiler, then all the mash is poured into it, along with the pulp, and if it is a regular apparatus, we either remove the cake from the mash (so as not to burn it) or hang it in a gauze bag. As a result of the first pasture, you should get 10-13 liters of raw alcohol from grapes.

How to make a second distillation of chacha from “Isabella”

Next comes secondary distillation alcohol, this is a longer and more complex stage. During the second fractional distillation, it is necessary to separate the head and tail fractions. Add water to the resulting grape moonshine so that the strength is 20-30 degrees, approximately 10-15 liters. This is necessary for better separation during distillation.

In Georgia, they love a 50-70% strong traditional alcoholic drink - chacha made from grapes. They prepare it themselves at home from grape pomace remaining after making wine or grape juice, and each family follows its own method of preparation. The most common chacha recipes are Abkhazian and Georgian. In Georgia, homemade chacha is prepared from Rkatsiteli grapes, and in Abkhazia they prefer Isabella (see) and Akakich.

Ingredients

Everything is very simple for chacha from grapes at home according to the recipe you only need three main ingredients: grape cake (instead of cake you can use ripe crushed grapes), water and sugar.

• purified water - 30 liters
• grape cake - 10 kg.
• granulated sugar - 5 kg.

Tools

Fermentation should take place in a container of a suitable size with a water seal installed. When the mash is ready, it is distilled in a moonshine still.

To strain the wort, use gauze or a sieve. To determine exact content alcohol in the drink, you will need an alcohol meter. Next, let's look at the recipe for how to make chacha.

Making mash

The leftovers after squeezing juice or making wine are perfect for chacha from grape pomace.

1. Pour all the pulp into a container of suitable volume in which fermentation will take place.
2. Prepare sugar syrup in the proportion of 1 kg. sugar per 0.5 liters of water, heat until sugar is completely dissolved, cool to 30 degrees (at elevated temperature the yeast dies, so chacha at home will not work) and add it to the fermentation container with the cake
3. Ferment wine yeast 5 - 10 grams per 10 liters of wort (you can also use baker's yeast, but still noble real chacha from cake according to traditional recipe prepared with wild or wine yeast) and add them to the wort
   

   Yeast may not be added at all, since it is already present on the skins of the grapes; if you do not wash the berries with soap, they will be preserved and will start the fermentation process. For more details, see, imported grapes are usually processed, so there are no bacteria left on them for fermentation.

4. Install a water seal
   

   Is it necessary to insulate the mash tank during the cooking process? If it is too cold at night, and much warmer during the day, then you need to ensure the same constant temperature in the room where the mash is placed.

5. While the mash for grape chacha at home is fermenting, stir it periodically and settle the rising cap of pulp
6. With wine yeast, fermentation will last 10 days or more. If you cook homemade chacha from grapes with wild yeast, then you will have to wait 30 or even more days. You can determine whether the mash is ready for chacha by the off-gassing: when it stops, proceed to the next step of the recipe
7. Separate and squeeze the solid components of the resulting mash from the grape pomace

Distillation

1. Pour the mash, strained from solid particles, into the distillation cube
2. Distill the mash in a moonshine still twice, the second distillation with the separation of the “heads” and “tails”.
3. If distilled once, the drink will have a pronounced hint of unpleasant fusel oils, with double distillation will make moonshine from grape marc cleaner, without a nasty smell, but with a pleasant aroma of grapes.

Bottling and storage

After distillation, chacha is diluted to 40% strength with water and bottled glass bottles, which need to be placed in a dark place for 7-14 days. It is important that the room temperature is not lower than 15 degrees and not higher than 25.

If you do not break this rule, during this time and under such conditions, Georgian moonshine from grape pomace will “reach” and will resemble exquisite brandy with hints of grapes. You can drink this drink (see) in moderate dosages safely and you won’t get a headache.

Everyone has heard about Georgian vodka - chacha, which the mountaineers consider a drink of longevity and drink small glasses before meals. This legendary alcohol can be bought in a store or made from grapes yourself. The second option allows you to control quality. Next we will look at how to make chacha at home. The recipe is simple, and the technology largely overlaps with moonshine brewing.

Chacha– this is the national Georgian alcoholic drink strength 55-70 degrees, belonging to the class of grape brandy. It is made from grape marc that remains after wine production. In fact, chacha is ordinary grape moonshine. World analogues are Italian grappa and Slavic rakia. If you have tried grappa, you can imagine what chacha tastes like. Of course, a lot depends on the quality of raw materials and production technology, but if all the rules are followed, these drinks are very similar.

Ingredients:

• grape pomace - 10 liters;
• sugar – 5 kg (optional);
• yeast - 100 grams dry or 500 grams pressed (optional);
• water – 30 liters.

I advise you to prepare a 50-liter glass bottle and a moonshine still in advance.

Attention! Real Georgian chacha is prepared without yeast and sugar, but due to the low natural sugar content of grapes in most regions of Russia, this is not always possible or advisable. Without sugar, the yield of the finished product will be much lower. With wild yeast, fermentation lasts 25-60 days instead of 5-10 with regular yeast, but if there is no hurry, you can wait, the aroma will be more pleasant. I suggest using the recipe that is most adapted to our realities. I guarantee that its strict adherence will preserve the taste and smell of the original raw materials. If you do not add sugar to the mash, the amount of water can be reduced by half.

So that the grapes do not go to waste, it is better to make chacha together with homemade wine. The juice will be used to make wine, and the pomace will be excellent moonshine. In other words, we find a use for wine production waste.

Grape chacha recipe

1. Pour the marc into a container, add sugar and yeast diluted according to the instructions (optional).

2. Pour the entire contents of the fermentation tank with warm water (20-25°C), if you add too much hot water, the yeast will die and fermentation will not begin.

3. Mix the ingredients, install a water seal or a medical glove with a hole in the finger to remove carbon dioxide. Place the container in a dark, warm (no higher than 30 degrees) place for fermentation. Once every two days, remove the lid and mix the mash well.

4. After the end of fermentation (the mash has become bitter in taste without sweetness and has become lightened), begin distillation. First, filtration is needed so that the remaining cake does not burn from high temperature. To do this, drain the mash from the sediment and filter through cheesecloth, then fill the distillation cube. After the first distillation (select the product until the strength in the stream drops below 30%, without dividing into fractions), you will get moonshine with a rather unusual smell, so another distillation is required.

5. Measure the strength of the distillate, determine the amount of pure alcohol. Dilute the moonshine with water to 20% and re-distill. Collect the first 8-12% of the amount of pure alcohol separately and pour it out; this is a harmful fraction that should not be drunk. Select the main product until the strength in the stream drops to 40%.

6. Dilute the resulting homemade chacha with water to 40-60 degrees. Before use, keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator or basement in a tightly closed glass container to stabilize the taste.

Chacha is served for any holiday. The drink goes well with any dish, both salty and sweet.