# Adding chocolate to wine



## vschlaff (Feb 2, 2012)

Hi everyone!!
I will be starting a batch of chocolate cherry wine next. Ive never used chocolate in a recipe. I have a choc extract from a wine supply store and I was wondering what your thoughts are on using this type of chocolate for flavor.


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## Julie (Feb 2, 2012)

Sorry, never used a syrup, I normally use 70% to 80% dark chocolate broken up into small pieces


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## Arne (Feb 2, 2012)

I have 5 gal of cherry that I started last summer. Will it work to add the chocolate now, or should I wait til I get a new batch started and put the chocolate in the secondary right away?? Arne.


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## hobbyiswine (Feb 2, 2012)

Julie said:


> Sorry, never used a syrup, I normally use 70% to 80% dark chocolate broken up into small pieces



Hmmm....sounds good. Curious how that works??? When do you add the chocolate? Just break it into pieces and drop it in the fermenter/carboy after clearing? How much chocolate do you add per gallon?


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## Julie (Feb 3, 2012)

yes just break it into pieces and drop it in the carboy and I do it when I stabilized and backsweeten.


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## Julie (Feb 3, 2012)

Arne said:


> I have 5 gal of cherry that I started last summer. Will it work to add the chocolate now, or should I wait til I get a new batch started and put the chocolate in the secondary right away?? Arne.



It would work now, if you are not going to bottle anytime in the next couple of months. I leave the chocolate in for about 2 months, rack and leave it clear.


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## Arne (Feb 3, 2012)

Julie said:


> It would work now, if you are not going to bottle anytime in the next couple of months. I leave the chocolate in for about 2 months, rack and leave it clear.



Thanks, Julie.
Have plenty of time til bottling. It is cold in my basement so the wines are just kinda sitting there not doing much of anything, but they seem to like it that way as they usually turn out pretty tasty. Arne.


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## vschlaff (Feb 3, 2012)

Thanks! Im hoping the extract has a good flavor. I will taste it and then maybe add choc the way you do. julie can you tell me how much i would need for 3 gallons. And im using sweet cherrys so would i use milk choc. 
Thanks!!


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## robie (Feb 3, 2012)

Correct me if I am wrong, Julie, but don't you get a lot of drop out from the chocolate? If so, might it be good to add the chocolate several months before you bottle, so it won't drop out so much in the bottle?

I haven't added chocolate, but I think I remember someone saying this.


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## Julie (Feb 3, 2012)

vschlaff said:


> Thanks! Im hoping the extract has a good flavor. I will taste it and then maybe add choc the way you do. julie can you tell me how much i would need for 3 gallons. And im using sweet cherrys so would i use milk choc.
> Thanks!!



No, don't use milk chocolate, you need to use a dark that has at least 70% cocoa, less oil and more cocoa which will give you more of a chocolate flavor.

I used Ghirardelli's Intense dark chocolate, 72% for my candy cane wine, and I used 2 packages which is 7 oz total. Chocolate comes thru real well at the end but does not over power the other flavors in the wine.


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## Julie (Feb 3, 2012)

robie said:


> Correct me if I am wrong, Julie, but don't you get a lot of drop out from the chocolate? If so, might it be good to add the chocolate several months before you bottle, so it won't drop out so much in the bottle?
> 
> I haven't added chocolate, but I think I remember someone saying this.



Yes, Robie, you are correct. I add mind as soon as I stabilize my wine and backsweeten. I do not wait for the wine to clear.


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## vschlaff (Feb 3, 2012)

Thank you julie!! I will try this if the extract doesnt taste good and i will try your method in another wine that I try in the future.


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## Julie (Feb 3, 2012)

vschlaff said:


> Thank you julie!! I will try this if the extract doesnt taste good and i will try your method in another wine that I try in the future.



If you need any help, post up or pm me.


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## Lurker (Feb 4, 2012)

Julie, how much per gal. please? Or, is that 7 oz per gal?

Thanks,
Richard L.


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## Julie (Feb 4, 2012)

Lurker said:


> Julie, how much per gal. please? Or, is that 7 oz per gal?
> 
> Thanks,
> Richard L.



I used 7 oz for 3 gallon, you can go higher if you want a stronger chocolate taste, my goal was to get a taste of the wine and have a light to medium chocolate finish


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## dangerdave (Feb 4, 2012)

I (and my stepson as a taster) have some natural chocolate extract that I have done some testing with. It was really good with a single drop in a glass of raspberry white zin. It tasted exactly like a raspberry Tootsie Pop! I'm not sure if I would want an extire six gallon batch of the stuff, but I might try flavoring _half_ a batch of something with it in the near future.


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## vschlaff (Feb 4, 2012)

Julie, can i get this chocolate in a store? If so which one? Or do i need to special order it online? 
Thanks,
GInny


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## vschlaff (Feb 5, 2012)

vschlaff said:


> Julie, can i get this chocolate in a store? If so which one? Or do i need to special order it online?
> Thanks,
> GInny



I researched the threads more and lookeld at the cocosphere.com site. I also researched fine quality chocolate and found chocolove. I can get this at whole foods . It is 77%!!


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## Julie (Feb 5, 2012)

Ginny,

I have used the chocolate from chocosphere but since then I started to use ghirardelli chocolate, you can get this in Walmart.


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## vschlaff (Feb 5, 2012)

Ok! Thanks Julie.


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## Duster (Feb 5, 2012)

Julie Rocks 
I have 3 a gallon batch of sweet Cherry that I just stabilized last weekend. I think I need to make a trip to wally world today and try this.


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## saramc (Feb 5, 2012)

Duster said:


> Julie Rocks
> I have 3 a gallon batch of sweet Cherry that I just stabilized last weekend. I think I need to make a trip to wally world today and try this.



_I have used 8 oz Hershey's Syrup to wine that is clear and stabilized. Add your syrup, gently stir and place airlock. It will drop out pretty quickly, then rack the wine. You may need to repeat the racking 1 or 2 more times over a week. Works wonders. You CAN also use dry chocolate powder, unsweetened, like Hershey's regular or Special Dark, add 2-4oz per gallon at the start of your wine...but check the pH BEFORE adding the chocolate not after. You will get ALOT of chocolate sludge as the wine progresses but racking will take care of it. The thing to realize is adding chocolate in powder form or solid typically takes 1 year to break down the acids in the chocolate and give you a nice smooth wine. If you are interested in a chocolate extract, use something like Star Kay White Chocolate extract, it is FABULOUS and it can be added to wine just prior to bottling._


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## vschlaff (Feb 7, 2012)

Thank you saramc! The star kay white chocolate sound real good. All of the idea's sound good. Now i just need to figure out which one to try!


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## marquis (Feb 14, 2012)

Looks really interesting. I have never tried drinking a wine with that flavor,and doesn't even know if it exist. but I think its a great idea for something new. Anyways, Thank you for sharing.


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## WVMountaineerJack (Feb 14, 2012)

One of Jack Kellers recent blogs has a list of chocolates to add to make wine with and how to do it. We added some milk chocolate to an elderberry, it was fantastic, but we had to fine out the milk cassein to get it clear again. Crackedcork


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## saramc (Feb 14, 2012)

*chocolate in your wine*



CrackedCork said:


> One of Jack Kellers recent blogs has a list of chocolates to add to make wine with and how to do it. We added some milk chocolate to an elderberry, it was fantastic, but we had to fine out the milk cassein to get it clear again. Crackedcork



Here is the link to his blog, it is in the 2/5/12 portion. He provides a good overview of using cocoa powder, and as always provides some recipes... http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/wineblognew.asp

Just remember, depending on which chocolate route you choose it WILL impact how soon you can consume. The cocoa powder takes the longest, while the extract can be added at bottling. The StarKayWhite line of extracts are "the" extract of choice for most chefs and many commercial manufacturers who use extract for flavor enhancement. 

You can definitely find chocolate wines in commercial stores now. I tend to see them either in a section all alone or with the ports; but I have not yet found any using fruit other than grapes. And to tell the truth the homemade chocolate wines usually win hands down over the commercial when you have both available for tasting amongst friends (at least my friends). There are also commercial kits with chocolate: Chocolate Raspberry Port, White Chocolate White Port, Orange Chocolate Port, etc.


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## marquis (Feb 15, 2012)

> You can definitely find chocolate wines in commercial stores now. I tend to see them either in a section all alone or with the ports; but I have not yet found any using fruit other than grapes. And to tell the truth the homemade chocolate wines usually win hands down over the commercial when you have both available for tasting amongst friends (at least my friends). There are also commercial kits with chocolate: Chocolate Raspberry Port, White Chocolate White Port, Orange Chocolate Port, etc.




Thanks for the idea. I'll try looking for it so that I can even taste it. At least.


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