Wine, Spirits & Drinking Culture

Abkhazia's claim to winemaking stretches back at least five millennia. Archaeological excavations in the Gudauta district have unearthed pitchers containing grape seeds dating to 3000–2000 BCE, while a celebrated bronze statuette from the Bombora settlement — a man raising an enormous wine horn — dates to the second millennium BCE and now graces the label of Apsny wine. Clay vessels buried underground for fermentation and aging, some holding over 200 litres, have been used in the western Caucasus for an estimated 8,000 years — a tradition that survives in Abkhazian households to this day.

The ancient Greek colony of Dioscurias, centered where modern Sukhumi stands, was one of the principal wine suppliers to Rome from the 6th century BCE onward. This heritage was not lost through centuries of Ottoman, Russian, and Soviet rule. Contemporary industrial production began in 1925 at the Sukhum Winery, reaching its golden age between 1960 and 1990, when some 1,500 hectares of vineyards produced the legendary brands that define Abkhazian wine today.

Illustration of a figure with a drinking horn, not a documentary photograph of an archaeological find

8,000 Years Underground · Clay kvevri vessels buried in the earth floor of a centuries-old cellar — the Caucasian fermentation method that UNESCO recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Illustrative bottles and wine glasses; not verified product photographs

🔥 Chacha — The Spirit of the Caucasus

No discussion of Abkhazian drinking culture is complete without chacha — a potent grape pomace brandy ranging from 40% to a staggering 65% alcohol. Every rural household distils its own, using the skins, stems, and seeds left over from winemaking. The quality varies enormously: industrial chacha from the Sukhum distillery is smooth and refined, while homemade versions can be bracingly raw. Chacha is traditionally served at room temperature in small glasses, always accompanied by food — drinking without eating is considered deeply uncivilised in Abkhazian culture.

The Art of Chacha · A copper alembic still in a traditional courtyard with tangerine trees and grape pergola — every Abkhazian family distils their own fiery grape brandy from the season's pomace.

🥛 Non-Alcoholic Traditions

Matsoni (fermented milk drink) remains the daily beverage of choice in mountain villages, believed to be one of the secrets behind Abkhazia's legendary longevity. Strong black tea, often sweetened with mountain honey, accompanies every social gathering. Fresh fruit compotes from local tangerines, figs, and persimmons round out the non-alcoholic repertoire.

🏛️ Drinking Culture & Toasting Traditions

The Abkhazian feast (amkhadzyr) follows an ancient and strictly observed protocol. The tamada (toastmaster) guides the evening through a series of mandatory toasts: the first to God and higher powers (all rise), the second to the sacred land of Apsny and its protectors (all rise again), followed by toasts to the host family, to the departed, and to future generations. Wine — never hard spirits — is used for formal toasts. The horn (ap'arakh) remains the ceremonial drinking vessel, a tradition directly linked to that Bronze Age statuette from Bombora.

Remarkably, despite the centrality of wine to social life, public drunkenness is virtually unknown and deeply stigmatised. The Abkhaz view wine not as an intoxicant but as a sacred medium connecting the living to their ancestors, the earth, and the divine. This philosophy — drinking with intention and reverence — may explain why a culture so deeply entwined with alcohol maintains one of the lowest rates of alcoholism in the Caucasus.