Chacha (ჭრრა) is the Georgian spirit, and the word itself just means the pomace — the pressed marc left over from qvevri winemaking. It’s made from that marc, or from unripe and surplus grapes, or from wine that didn’t turn out well, and it’s now a protected Georgian appellation in its own right.

It should not be confused with Georgian brandy — the wine-distillate, oak-aged, cognac-modelled spirit made by Sarajishvili and others since the 1880s. That’s a completely separate industrial tradition; chacha is the household and village spirit.

Rakia Today

Most chacha is distilled from whichever variety a household or winery already works with — Rkatsiteli in Kakheti, Saperavi where reds dominate, and the hybrid Isabella in the west, which gives a distinctly foxy, candied character that divides opinion. Commercial bottlings sit around 40–45%; home chacha frequently exceeds 55%.

The most interesting recent development is varietal chacha — Saperavi, Rkatsiteli or Kisi marc distilled and labelled on its own, following the same logic as varietal grappa in Italy — alongside a growing premium category of oak-aged, amber chacha. The overwhelming majority of what’s actually drunk, though, is still homemade: every winemaking household makes it, and it appears at every supra.

Native Spirits

Grape-Based

• Chacha [A] — The standard clear form, distilled from the marc of whichever variety the household or winery works with — most often Rkatsiteli, Saperavi, or the foxy, candied Isabella hybrid in the west. Commercial bottlings sit around 40–45%; home chacha often exceeds 55%.
• Aged Chacha [A–B] — Oak-matured, amber and softer than clear chacha, and more brandy-like in character — the direction most serious Georgian producers are now taking.
• Varietal Chacha [B] — Made from a single variety’s marc and labelled as such — Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, Kisi — following the same logic as varietal grappa in Italy, and the most interesting recent development in the category.

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• Flavoured Chacha [B–C] — Infused with tarragon, walnut, honey or herbs; largely domestic and tourist-market oriented.
• Home Chacha [D] — The overwhelming majority of what’s actually drunk — every winemaking household makes it, and it appears at every supra.

Not rakia: Georgian brandy — a wine-distillate, oak-aged, cognac-modelled spirit made by Sarajishvili and others since the 1880s. A completely separate industrial tradition from chacha, not a rakia-family spirit. Full profile →

Specialty Spirits

Georgia is a wine-and-chacha culture with essentially no indigenous liqueur tradition — what it has instead is a serious brandy house.

Brandy

• Sarajishvili [A] — Founded in Tbilisi in 1884 by David Sarajishvili, and the reference point for Georgian brandy — a wine distillate aged in Caucasian oak, made in a Cognac-derived style from Georgia’s white grape varieties. The older expressions are genuinely good and priced far below their French equivalents.
• Askaneli Brothers [B] — The main alternative to Sarajishvili, with a comparable range.

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• Flavoured chacha [B–C] — Tarragon, walnut, honey and herb infusions of chacha stand in for the liqueur category Georgia otherwise lacks — see the rakia page for detail. None has the codified status of a Greek or Croatian liqueur.

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