Mountain Fire: Making Georgia's Chacha Liquor

In Georgia's highlands near Batumi, many villagers distill their own, fiery drink out of grape juice left over from wine production.
Originally published at - www.rferl.org/a/chacha-mounta...

[@kabardinka1]

For Georgia, that was a very short toast. Gaumarjos!

[@thefisherking78]

Such beautiful singing!

[@terra3819]

We had traditionally produced Georgian red wine (made in big traditionally produced clay amphoraes) as part of an exhibition of the legendary gold treasure of Georgia. This land is embedded in the rich culture and legends in Europe and it's a pleasure to visit! This wine is the best wine ever!

[@BartholomewTolomeo4256]

I been to Georgia twice, the mountains around Batumi are the most beautiful place in my opinion.

[@viki6or]

Beautiful land

[@kidlatigotvols.ofwlifesucc3791]

Gamardiov. I love Georgia i miss Georgia.love the food people and chacha..kingkali.cachapuri.

[@jerry50bmg65]

Beautiful

[@ariosarios7998]

Viva Georgia

[@TheSilentpigs100]

Bless all christian nations and their sovereignty

[@StayTheFuckAwayFromMe]

Enjoy 😎

[@iliatsiklauri4317]

Good people

[@piconano]

They do the same in Southern USA. They call it moonshine.

[@montanarailroads7367]

No, moonshine is made from corn or grain. This is made from grape pomace.

[@piconano]

It's the same process for all of them. Sugar turns to alcohol and the way you go...

[@montanarailroads7367]

@@piconano Wrong. Basically the same process, but extremely different product. If there wasn't, there would be no difference between vodka and brandy. Chacha or grappa is a brandy, not grain alcohol.

[@piconano]

@@montanarailroads7367 I'm talking about the distillation process you dimwit.

[@montanarailroads7367]

Better known as "Grappa" in the rest of the world.

[@montanarailroads7367]

@Sven P "of Italian origin" is not the same as "strictly Italian". Nowhere in the wikipedia page does it say what you just stated. It's sold all over the world as grappa. It's made in Italy, Switzerland, as well as many North and South American countries, including the United States.

[@salr362]

Fores, heads, hearts and tails all in. Great for the liver and cleaning car engine.

[@donfluso9042]

that is enjoying life ❤

[@eardwulf785]

I see this video of this beautiful land and I see a culturally mature people and I want to get to know them

[@KuopassaTv]

Right, I wonder how mature they are after drinking a barrel of moonshine

[@smyzeqari4897]

We make the same thing in Albania, cheers

[@susanwestern6434]

I think most countries that have a drinking culture have made this kind of alcohol. Whatever the original ingredients were. Grain, potatoes or fruit etc.

[@MarkJonesisjustaman]

From the ancient home of all wine comes Chacha.

[@diosplit8215]

That is some good Sh**! Very potent. Cures whatever ails you!!! 👍🏻🥂

[@jeffbreezee]

I guess Caucasian Georgia and US Georgia have a lot in common!

[@DEFEEMFEPresbIaco]

We are all Ukranians! We pray to God for the victory of the Ukranian Army Heroes against the russian agressor! Ukraine ever and forever!

[@Crimeiskoolforkidz]

Wrong video

[@yukakichi0203]

80％！😋

[@chokac1]

We do it same way in Croatia. We call it Rakija

[@davedrewett2196]

I'm curious, do they put it in mulberry wood barrels ?

[@chokac1]

@@davedrewett2196 We put it mostly in big glass bottle, 50 liters. Its a simple process, you can drink it after couple of hours

[@davedrewett2196]

@@chokac1 I made some with pears this year.

[@chachaman4980]

I looks like grappa…. Maybe Georgians are Italian cousins!?

[@montanarailroads7367]

Same thing. Different language.

[@whiteprivilege7961]

Yikes 😳 they don't use copper stills

[@etee7114]

80% alcohol content, that's nearly industrial alcohol.

[@TLPcreative]

so its moonshine

[@montanarailroads7367]

No, it's grappa. Moonshine isn't made from grapes.

[@agoogleaccount2861]

Someone get him some stainless steel to make a better condenser !

[@bloominflowers6766]

Tell him he can order it on Amazon ! (joke)

[@ricardocarvalho1235]

It's called aguardente en Portugal i know how to make it

[@princegroove]

Or aguardiente in Latin America. 😉

[@jeroenberkenbosch7072]

@@princegroove yeah , yeah ...... original and decendants from portugese colonies ! 😁

[@montanarailroads7367]

@@jeroenberkenbosch7072 Aguardente de Vinho in Portuguese

[@montanarailroads7367]

@@jeroenberkenbosch7072 no, no, ...... not original and descendants from Portuguese colonies. Aguardiente is Spanish

[@jeroenberkenbosch7072]

@@montanarailroads7367 gracias por explenatión ! 😊

[@isaymymind1727]

Its called Tototo in Zimbabwe

[@bobjohnbowles]

If it's that strong you could run your car on it...

[@elizabethhurtado2829]

🍻

[@snowdog03]

Like Kentucky moonshine.

[@montanarailroads7367]

Like saying vodka is like Kentucky whiskey. It's made from grapes, not grain or corn.

[@snowdog03]

@@montanarailroads7367 I know. Process is similar though.

[@EDMcIntoshBrocher]

You call it Chacha but it looks like freedom to me. If you tried that in Scotland you would be labelled a terrorist and given a lengthy stay in the big house.

[@princegroove]

Ye, that’s the power of multinational corporations and their political pawns.

[@jeroenberkenbosch7072]

nope , thats because only one strong liquid is allowed to be distilled in scotland , thats why they say "terrorist" , as its a crime to whiskey drinkers 😁.......... and if you see its 80% pure ..... anyone want some alcohol poisening ? so unregulated could be dangerous also , but hey there are more strange laws all over the world . 😉

[@peterross97]

Perfect way to make methanol. But I doubt anyone drinking such a mix would care.

[@decaesaris5093]

It's the same receipt for manufacturing whiskey or any other alchool. It's ethanol not methanol

[@peterross97]

@@decaesaris5093 Except if you do it wrong, you can easily make methanol. Which this method does. Easily.

[@davedrewett2196]

@@peterross97 the methanol is mostly in the first fraction of distillation. These Eastern European country folk all distill and know how to separate those fractions into cuts. The just drink the middle fraction called the hearts. They keep the methanol for fire lighting and cleaning and add the heads and tail fractions into the next batch to be distilled again. These people learn all this as teenagers from their uncles and dad.

[@peterross97]

@@davedrewett2196 LOL, sure...

[@tintinjailhouse1312]

Like THE turkish too !! Cuzz THERE are over 85%!!! Aint it crazy bros ?!!!

[@WAFFEN681]

So why is there singing?

[@johnmccallum8512]

There is booze involved and its better singing than from the local drunks. Bottoms up.🤣

[@user-oi3yb7mm7h]

Offering one stick of incense symbolises wholeheartedness, faith and devotion to one Buddhist practice, while three sticks symbolise the respect to the Triple Gems -the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.

[@littlehills739]

Triple Gems whats this?

[@HubertofLiege]

In America, he would be a moonshiner. Watch out for the revenuers!

[@Fireinthesky67]

Putler doesn't drink alcohol. I am always suspicious towards people who never drink a single drop of booze.

[@Finnish_guy]

He drinks, that is false information. He just don't get drunk. Also there are rumours he used to have a problem with drinking back in the days.

[@chokac1]

You are 100% right. When I get married, my wife stop with alcohol

[@thefisherking78]

@@chokac1 does she do anything fun now?

[@thefisherking78]

Trump doesn't drink and look what an asshole he is

[@chachaman4980]

He injects mind altering steroids…an old KGB party drug😂

[@nikiindzhiev5369]

This is Rakjia not Chacha

[@montanarailroads7367]

I'm pretty sure the guy making it knows what it is called. Rakjia isn't even a word in Georgian.

[@bluesteel5841]

Kind of like a drug dealer that makes his own..in the Americas 140,000 people die each year from alcohol.

[@jimbomanivanh9697]

So China isn’t that bad, it’s just the government

[@montanarailroads7367]

How is that China?