Chocolate...wine...!?!

A couple days ago, while strolling down the aisles of the wine cellar at the "Cheese Shop" in Williamsburg, Virginia, (which could be my new favorite place since they combine two or my favorite things in the whole wide world, cheese and wine), I stumbled across this bottle of wine with a very brown liquid inside, and a very inviting label (see above), and the magic words "Chocolate" and "Wine" altogether...My first thought: "WTH??? How can this be any good? Grape wine mixed with chocolate and cream? Seriously???" As I stood there with a perplexed look on my face, this woman walked by me and started going on and on about how delicious that combination was...Of course, it was a woman saying that, and my guess was, this was no drink for a man, a little too "frou-frou,"  possibly ;)  I bet some of you might say, as you are reading this, that you have seen this type of "wine" many times before, and this is nothing new. Well, this was news to me, my friends, because I can tell you that in my many years of checking out wine shops all throughout Europe, I never once saw this type of drink over there, but it's never too late to learn about new products, is it? ;)

$13 later (you can actually get this for about $10 other places, but this was Williamsburg...), we went home, and right around "Aperitif" time (which for most people is about a half hour before dinner, but is for me anytime I feel like it :) ), I decided to break open my new purchase so that I could report on it and share with you all my thoughts (my only reasons, truly...).

Quick analysis of this "wine" first: the grapes – a blend of Torrontes, Pedro Ximenez, and Moscato (all produced, for this particular brand, in a US winery). The chocolate flavors are produced at one of the top creameries in the United States (making this an all-American product!). Alcohol content: 14.0 %

The taste? Rich, velvety-smooth chocolate flavors, combine with undertones of vanilla and caramel. When I tried it, it tasted like way more than a drink with an alcohol content of 14.0% (but that's not a bad thing, is it?).  As far as the red wine flavor, it is very, very subtle, and it makes me wonder how much red wine there actually is in there. If you had me try this drink without telling me there is wine in it, I'm not sure I'd be able to guess that there was wine in the mix. The texture was quite thick (due to the cream) and reminiscent of Bailey's. I would almost prefer it less thick and will probably thrown in an extra ice cube in there next time. Overall, this is a fun drink for people who don't necessarily like wine and who like sweeter alcohol, this would be their drink! Best served chilled as a pre-dinner, or after-dinner drink. Santé!

You can also find, from the same winery, a Chocolate Espresso & Wine,  (http://opiciwines.com/wine/cocoa-di-vine/chocolate-espresso-wine/) as well as a Chocolate Cherry & Wine (http://opiciwines.com/wine/cocoa-di-vine/chocolate-cherry-wine/). Haven't tried them, but maybe in the future :)