I was introduced to Chicha by a friend who grew pinot noir grapes in their backyard vineyard. I had never heard of this beverage, but was immediately intrigued by it’s beautiful color and the process by which it was made. It’s a cross between the natural fermentation with Kombucha, the sweetness of grape juice, and the rounded flavor you get when you age wine. Pretty, cool, right?
So when I researched Chicha, there was a lot of information about Chicha made using cooking methods, and some other things I didn’t want to mention in this post! What I like about our Chicha, is it’s all organic, uses what nature provides us, and you can control how sweet or fermented you would like your Chicha to be.
Some background:
Chicha (pronounced chee-cha) in South and Central America, is a fermented (alcoholic) or non-fermented beverage usually derived from grains, maize, or fruit. While Chicha is most commonly associated with maize, the word is used in the Andes for almost any homemade fermented drink, and many unfermented drinks.
For our Chicha recipe, we use pinot noir grapes, rich in polyphenolic phytochemical compound Resveratrol. Resveratrol is one of the powerful anti-oxidant which has been found to play a protective role against cancers of colon and prostate, coronary heart disease (CHD), degenerative nerve disease, Alzheimer's disease and viral/ fungal infections.
But Chicha isn’t exactly wine, it’s wine in the process of fermentation, and the origins of grape Chicha, as distinct from wine, are unclear. Chilean historian Eugenio Pereira Salas sees it as a “new drink” which, in the 18th century was replacing wine, as the drink of the common people. It is first mentioned in 1760, when seen as responsible for death and disgraceful behavior caused by the “the boundless appetite of the common people who make it and who have given it the name Chichita. Pereria Salas sees Chicha as a descendant of Mapuche muday, which is quite reasonable, but he notes that in Spain it would be known as “sagardúa,” from the Basque word for cider. In fact similar partially fermented wines are produced throughout Europe, under names that translate as “feather wine,” “new wine,” “young wine,” and in southern Spain as “mosto,” though none seem to be cooked before fermentation and it does not keep as long as Chicha.
Chicha Cruda, uncooked Chicha, or Chacolí was (and still is) also made by simply allowing grape juice to ferment, but it must be drunk within a few days before it begins to turn to vinegar.
Let’s make some!
What you will need:
2 Food grade 1-5 gallon buckets with lids
Pinot noir grape bunches, organic (the amount is up to you – you can start with enough to fill a 1 gallon bucket and scale up from there) – most of the stems removed.
Masher
Strainer
Funnel (for bottling)
Ladle
Sterilized bottles with screw top or flip top lid (something that will keep any carbonation inside the bottle)
Here we go:
Take your grape bunches and place into the bucket – this recipe is following a rustic preparation where your grapes are not washed (since they are organic) – if they are dusty, simply wipe off dust before placing into the bucket.
Using your masher, crush the grapes so that the skins are separated and juices released.
Cover the bucket and store your grape mash in a cool, dry place for a minimum of 24-72 hours. The less you age the grape mash, the sweeter your Chicha – a longer period makes for more natural fermentation and your Chicha will have some slight carbonation and a mellower flavor and sweetness.
When you have decided your Chicha is to your liking in sweetness or mellowness, place a strainer over the other bucket and pour your grape mash to strain the pulp, skins, seeds, and stems.
Your Chicha will appear very cloudy (almost like an unfiltered wheat bear). Allow the liquid to sit for 30-60 minutes to allow any sediment to settle to the bottom of the bucket.
With the sediment at the bottom of the bucket, you can take a ladle and pour the Chicha into the funnel inserted to your bottle of choice. Fill to 1/2” of the top of the bottle and cap.
Place your Chicha in the refrigerator to stop any further fermentation.
Your Chicha is now ready to drink and will keep for 3-7 days in the refrigerator.
Tip:
You can manage the sweetness and color of your Chicha by the amount of mashed grapes you keep in the bucket over the 24-72 hours. The lower amount of mashed grapes, the lighter the color and sweetness – more mashed grapes will give you higher sweetness and color.
You can bottle your Chicha without letting the sediment settle to the bottom of the bucket – keep in mind that the sediment will settle in the bottle and you will not have a full bottle portion of Chicha to drink. Allowing the sediment to settle in the bucket before bottling makes for a nicer presentation.
Use your Chicha as a mixer, add some sparkling water, or add some sliced fruit to make a Chicha Sangria – all very refreshing!
I love that the grapes just do their thing and you have a wonderful beverage full of healthy nutrients.
Have some fun and experiment with Chicha!
