Homemade chicha de uva — the sweet grape must of Fiestas Patrias, in 3 days
Homemade Chilean chicha de uva: muscat or dark grapes crushed, strained and fermented for 2-3 days in a loosely capped bottle until it fizzes and tingles. How much alcohol it has, how to tell it is ready, the unfermented version for kids and how to keep it.
Ingredients
- A fine sieve or a clean cotton cloth
- A 2-litre glass jug or bottles, well washed, with lids
Instructions
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Rinse and pick the grapes
Rinse the bunches in cold water without scrubbing: the white bloom on grape skins is the wild yeast that ferments the chicha, and it should not all be washed off. Pick the grapes into a large bowl, discarding green or rotten ones and the stalks. A bunch with a few stems adds tannin and does no harm, but green stalks make it bitter.
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Crush and press
Crush the grapes with clean hands, a potato masher or a wooden pestle until every berry bursts and releases its juice. In Chile it is traditionally done in a zaranda sieve or a crusher; at home, hands in a big bowl are enough. Let the crushed fruit rest for 30 minutes so the skins release colour and aroma.
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Strain the must
Pass the mixture through a fine sieve or a cotton cloth into another bowl, squeezing the pulp to extract all the juice. You get about 2 litres of cloudy, sweet must. Taste it: if the grapes were tart, dissolve the tablespoon of sugar. That unfermented must is already the sweet, alcohol-free chicha for children; set aside what you want to keep that way and refrigerate it.
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Ferment for 2-3 days
Pour the must into the jug or bottles, filling only three quarters, and put the lids on loosely (or cover with a cloth and a rubber band): fermentation makes gas and a sealed bottle can burst. Leave them at 18-24 °C, away from sunlight. Between 24 and 48 hours you will see fine bubbles and foam on the surface and smell yeast. At 2-3 days the chicha tingles on the tongue, is still sweet and is at its best.
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Slow the fermentation and serve
When it has the point you like (more days means less sweet and more alcohol), strain again to remove the foam and sediment, transfer to clean bottles and keep them in the fridge with the lids barely tightened: cold slows fermentation but does not stop it completely. Serve well chilled, on its own or at the fonda with a little ice. Open the bottles carefully, like a fizzy drink.
Nutrition information
| Calories | 150 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 0 g |
| Carbs | 28 g |
| Sugars | 26 g |
| Fat | 0 g |
| Trans fat | 0 g |
Values per serving (1 of 4).
Frequently asked questions
How much alcohol is in homemade chicha de uva?
It depends on the days of fermentation: at 2-3 days, between 2 and 4 %, like a light beer; after a week it can pass 6 % and tastes like a young, dry wine. The 'sweet' or 'cooked' chicha sold at fondas is a few days old and low in alcohol. Unfermented, the must has zero alcohol. Mild as it is, it is still alcohol: not for children or drivers.
How do I know the chicha is ready, or gone too far?
It is ready when it fizzes as you move the bottle, tingles lightly on the tongue and is still sweet with a grape aroma. It has gone too far when it is no longer sweet, smells strongly of vinegar or stale yeast and a thick white layer forms on top; it is on its way to vinegar. A thin white film is harmless: strain it off. If it smells rotten or shows coloured mould, throw it away.
Which grapes do I use for chicha?
The traditional chicha of Curacaví and the central valley is made with país or muscat grapes from old vineyards, very sweet and aromatic. From the greengrocer, any ripe table grape works: muscat gives the most perfumed chicha, dark grapes (Red Globe, Crimson) a pink, fruity one, seedless white grapes a mild one. What matters is full ripeness: underripe grapes lack the sugar to ferment well.
Do I add yeast or sugar?
No yeast is needed: grape skins carry their own, which is why they are not scrubbed. Only if there is no bubble at all after 48 hours (over-washed or very cold grapes) can you add half a teaspoon of baker's yeast dissolved in warm water. Sugar is not needed with ripe grapes either; a tablespoon per litre only if the must is tart. More sugar does not make it better: it only raises the alcohol.
How do I make alcohol-free chicha for kids?
The freshly strained, unfermented must is the sweet alcohol-free chicha: refrigerate it at once and drink within 2 days, because fermentation starts even in the cold. To keep it longer, heat it to 80 °C for 5 minutes (without boiling), cool and bottle: pasteurising kills the yeast and it lasts a week. Serve cold with ice and a slice of lemon.
How long does chicha keep, and how do I store it?
In the fridge, with the lid loose, it keeps 5-7 days, each day a little less sweet and a little stronger. Do not freeze it or store it sealed at room temperature: the gas bursts the bottle. For the 18th, start the chicha on the 15th and the first bottle will be at its best on fonda day; what is left stays good until the following weekend.
What is the difference between chicha de uva and chicha de manzana?
The process is the same (crushed fruit, strained must and natural fermentation); the fruit and the region change: grape chicha belongs to the central valley (Curacaví, Villa Alegre, the Maule), apple chicha to the south, from Ñuble down to Chiloé, where apples are plentiful and grapes are not. Apple chicha is tarter and drier, like a light cider; grape chicha is sweeter and more aromatic. Both are the fonda drinks alongside the terremoto.
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