The traditional vodka-like alcoholic drink of Georgia – Chacha – is often overlooked. This is probably, because of poor distillation for over the decades as well as being sold in repurposed plastic bottles of Coca-Cola. For the past couple of years, the Chacha production is on the rise with many companies popping up like mushrooms after a rainy day. You probably remember our previous posts about traditional Chachas and other high alcoholic drinks that are not wine or Chacha. This post shows another list of 10 most unique Chachas you should try once in Tbilisi. All of them are sold at Chacha Corner, the only Craft Chacha shop, at #11 Giga Lortkipanidze Street in Tbilisi.
Papari Valley
Photo Source: Decanter Wine & Shop
Papari Valley is a family run business, with vineyards and winery located in Akhasheni, Kakheti region. Even though the company purchased vineyards in 2004 and produced its first experimental wine three years after, the commercial release of their wines started from the vintage of 2015.
What distinguishes them from other wine or Chacha producing companies is their innovative system of three terraces of qvevri. First two terraces are located in Marani, the wine cellar, and the third is in the basement. The first terrace is for fermentation, while the rest is for the aging of wine and its transfusion. The latter process from one to another terrace happens by gravity. This method enables young wine to develop in a natural environment and prevents any damage on the microbiological level.
It should be also noted that since last year, Papari Valley gained a bio and organic certificate for wine, and are waiting for approval on their Chacha as well.
Papari Valley’s Saperavi Chacha is distilled according to traditional Kakhetian method where only leftovers of winemaking process are used. They don’t press the grapes so that the wine is not mixed in rough juice. This way chacha expresses the character of the grape variety.
They don’t add wine to increase the volume, nor sugar or water to regulate the level of alcohol and the quantity. Moreover, they don’t mix different grapes or vintages.
Tedo’s Marani
Photo Source: Natural Wine Association
One of the most distinctive products of Tedo’s Marani is a mulberry Chacha aged in mulberry barrels. The company started bottling the beverage since 2015 and the product sold in shops are aged for three years. It’s a twice-distilled Chacha. In the middle of the distillation process, they pour the beverage with 65-degree alcohol into barrels, where it goes the fermentation, aging and reduces is alcohol degree to 52. Mulberry barrels give Chacha a characteristic aroma and orange color.
Acharuli Gvinis Sakhli
Photo Source: Adjarian Wine House
Established in 2010, Acharuli Gvinis Sakhli or Adjarian Wine House produces both wine and Chacha from Adjarian vines. Their Chkhaveri Chacha is unusual because it’s made from only Chkhaveri pomace. After taking the wine juice from barrels, they put the distilled pomace into the same barrels, processed with coal filters and left for a year and a half to get all those unique aromas and tastes Chkhaveri vine has.
9 Mukha
Photo Source: Nine Oaks Estate
Translated as 9 Oak, the company has started producing wine and Chacha since 2016. Their beverage is made from Kisi, Khikhvi, and Saperavi vines separately. Most of the time, these vines are usually mixed together to make Chacha. This is what distinguishes 9 Mukha from others; their Kisi Chacha has a similar aroma as its wine. The location of their vineyard also plays an important part – it’s a microzone of Kindzmarauli.
Orovela
Photo Source: Orovela
Orovela’s Oro Chacha is a handcrafted spirit made by traditional artisan distilling techniques. Made entirely from grapes, the beverage is produced in Charente-type distillation pots without pedicel and heads.
The final product is of clear white to extremely light pink color and has a slightly sharp aroma of leather, hint of fried almonds and nuts, and flowers. It has a taste of fruits (yellow pears and white mulberry), and nuts.
Nakalovari
Photo Source: Decanter Wine & Shop
Nakalovari is a sister company of Qartuli Gvinis Memkvidreoba, producing Chacha in qvevri. The company makes the beverage by mixing different varieties. They keep chacha together with pedicel in qvevri for about six months, and after distillation, the product is very tasty and aromatic. For now, they are fermenting a mixture of Kakhuri Mtsvane and Rkatsiteli, while at the end of the March, they will bottle a combination of Rkatsiteli, Kakhuri Mtavsne, Kisi, Khikhvi, and Kakhuri Mtsvivani.
In their Chacha-making process, Nakalovari uses unpressed pomace. When the juice is taken out from the qvevri, they put a special net in the middle of it, which enables wine to drip from chacha. This raw material that’s left on the net is used for their Chacha. The process is very time consuming, but the results are worth it.
Tibaani
Photo Source: Wines Georgia
This family-run business produces both Chacha and wine since 2015. We have talked about their 52 Degrees Chacha in our previous post, but this time, we introduce 69 and 80-degree alcohol Chacha – a very rare phenomenon on Chacha market.
All of their beverages are distilled on a wood fire and not on gas. They use grapes from their own vineyards located in Tibaani, Kakheti region. The 80-degree Chacha is distilled three times with double filtration according to an Italian method. Similar to other Chachas, this one is also aged for one year in mulberry barrels and includes a small particle of the mulberry tree inside the bottle.
Bediseuli
Photo Credit: Zurab Chitaia
Bediseuli started producing wine and Chacha since 2017. They have an agricultural co-op and land in western Georgia where they grow different fruits and grapes. Their family cellar is located in Kutaisi. The company has a wide range of alcoholic beverages, including fruit Chacha made from apricot, peach, blueberry, cornel, honey, and tkemali (plum-like fruit).
However, they have a very different Chachas that distinguishes them from others. The representative of the company explains that when they decided to start producing Chacha, they realized that the market is full of them made in classical methods or aged in barrels. So they decided to produce something unique and different – citrus, feijoa, and tarragon Chacha.
The method they use comes from their ancestors. The owners have been making Chacha since their childhood but turned into a commercial business only two years ago. As a vessel, they use clay in everything, including filtering, distillation, and aging. It has shown that clay removes the unnecessary essential oils from the final product.
Bebe Sesi
Photo Source: Oricha
Bebe Sesi focuses only on Chacha and produces only one type of beverage. Chacha-making has been part of the family tradition for many years, and since the admiration from family friends and relatives never faded, they decided to bottle it and introduce their Oricha Chacha to a wider audience. The method has been transferred from generation to generation. It’s unique and has no resemblance to anything.
Chacha is made in Qiziki, Kakheti region, in an ancestral cellar. Oricha is a grape Chacha fermented in oak barrels, with added mountain berries and herbs. This is exactly what makes Oricha so characteristic and special! What type of herb they use is a family secret, but the company representative explained that one of the herbs helps to keep hungover at bay the next day!
Spirtaura
Photo Source: Spirtaura
This company is the youngest of them all mentioned in this article. Established only about five months ago, they produce Chacha and wheat and barley vodkas. The Cacha is a combination of Saperavi and Rkatsiteli grapes. They used Saperavi is harvested from Papari Valley microzone, which is distinguished by different taste and aroma.
Distillation process of their Chacha is very long, taking at least 24 hours to take out all those harmful substances from the beverage. The remaining product is kept for another day at 50 degrees and distilled again to reduce it to 40 in order for the Chacha to be clear from any essential oils and harmful substances. The result is a soft and aromatic beverage.
Their vodkas are natural beverage made from Georgian wheat and barley harvested near Bazaleti Lake.
