ChocoVine

Price: $10
Origin: Holland
Importer: Clever Imports, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, screw cap
Alcohol: 14%

ChocoVine‘s label promises, “the taste of dutch chocolate and fine red wine.” It looks like a frappucino, or perhaps an Irish cream liqueur in a darker shade. The combination doesn’t sound very promising – I was expecting an evil mixture of Yahoo and Two Buck Chuck. In fact, ChocoVine is more like a liqueur, both in taste and texture. It’s sweet and creamy, with a mild chocolate flavor and a noticeable alcohol bite. The “finish” is a rather cloying coating on the tongue from the cream.

The ingredients are “grape wine with artificial flavor, cream, and artificial colors.” Rather confusingly, below that on the label, it says in larger type, “chocolate & wine.” And the Chocovine website describes the drink as “a fine French Cabernet subtly combined with a rich dark chocolate from Holland.”

The alcohol content is 14%, compared to a liqueur like Baileys that clocks in at 17%. In fact, Chocovine is rather like a budget Baileys, minus the Bushmills, plus chocolate flavor. It tastes a bit stronger than 14%. The “fine Cabernet” part seems a bit odd since most Cabernets run about 13.5% alcohol, and they aren’t diluted with cream and other ingredients. On the plus side, the fact that a wine flavor isn’t evident is perhaps a good thing.

Dave’s Cupboard didn’t like Chocovine, saying it “tastes like cheap chocolate milk spiked with cherry cough syrup and vodka.” (That’s a rather harsh judgment.) You Gonna Eat That was slightly more generous, noting “The taste reminded me of Bailey’s but the watery texture was more like Kahlúa.” Life In Reviews served it at a party, and said, “Everyone liked it, including the two wine-haters.”

I didn’t rate Chocovine on my wine scale. If you like cream liqueurs like Baileys, Carolans, etc., you’ll probably find Chocovine at least drinkable and a relative bargain.