# Adding Chocolate to finished wine



## DavidB (Nov 15, 2010)

Tonight as I was enjoying a glass of my scupperdine wine with a bit of dark chocolate on the side, it occurred to me that the two of them go really good together. Got me to wondering if you can add chocolate to wine after it has finished. I think the answer is yes. But before I run to the store for some dark chocolate, I figured I'd better ask first. This wine is less than a month old since it finished and it has a lot of aging to do. I have added my sorbate / k-meta and it's really clear right now. Dang good by itself but I think I would like to go with the addition of chocolate if I can. 

What about it? Am I about to mess up or is this a go for it?

I've got a 6 gallon carboy full to the brim. If it is okay to add, how much would you suggest to ensure the flavors come over to the wine.


----------



## Wade E (Nov 15, 2010)

I think thats kind of what Runningwolf did recently with a dessert wine.


----------



## Runningwolf (Nov 15, 2010)

Dave I kept my wine in the secondary fermentation for about 28 days. This is the time I added dark chocolate. You want a semi sweet very high in cocoa and low in butter fat. I stir it a couple times a week. Do this carefully to avoid a volcano. The first time I did this I added 1/2 pound to 1 gallon. I felt this was too strong even though it was very good. This year I am using 1 pound per 3 gallons. The chocolate defiantly had an upfront taste. This my change over time if it ever gets a chance to age. Between competitions and tastings one gallon doesn't last long (and Julie in the cellar). The goal should be to have the grape taste upfront followed by the chocolate. I am currently using this technique on some cherry and another desert wine. Incidently, I had a winery call me Saturday night to tell me I needed to enter this in the Winemakers Competition in the Spring.


----------



## Julie (Nov 15, 2010)

There is nothing wrong with me being in your cellar Dan, remember you invited me. I'm not having a problem being there.  I got chocolate from a place that Dan told me about, chocosphere.com. Go for the chocolate that has 71% cocoa or more.


----------



## Dufresne11 (Nov 15, 2010)

Do you melt it and add it straight or make a syrup?


----------



## Julie (Nov 16, 2010)

don't melt it, just add it as pieces. The chocolate that I got came like a small coin, quarter size, I guess.


----------



## DavidB (Nov 16, 2010)

Runningwolf said:


> Dave I kept my wine in the secondary fermentation for about 28 days. This is the time I added dark chocolate. You want a semi sweet very high in cocoa and low in butter fat. I stir it a couple times a week. Do this carefully to avoid a volcano. The first time I did this I added 1/2 pound to 1 gallon. I felt this was too strong even though it was very good. This year I am using 1 pound per 3 gallons. The chocolate defiantly had an upfront taste. This my change over time if it ever gets a chance to age. Between competitions and tastings one gallon doesn't last long (and Julie in the cellar). The goal should be to have the grape taste upfront followed by the chocolate. I am currently using this technique on some cherry and another desert wine. Incidently, I had a winery call me Saturday night to tell me I needed to enter this in the Winemakers Competition in the Spring.



Great information! Thanks. Can you suggest any particular brands of dark chocolate. I don't want to recreate the wheel. If you already found one that is high in cocoa and low in butter, it would be neat to have this information. Thanks again.


----------



## djrockinsteve (Nov 16, 2010)

David, thanks to Runningwolf I have been bitten by the choc. bug. I have chocolate extract to ad to a choke cherry wine. Haven't started it just yet but that is another avenue to think of. Bottles were @$5.00 a small bottle.


----------



## Runningwolf (Nov 16, 2010)

DavidB said:


> Great information! Thanks. Can you suggest any particular brands of dark chocolate. I don't want to recreate the wheel. If you already found one that is high in cocoa and low in butter, it would be neat to have this information. Thanks again.



David Julie already posted a link and type in post #4. If you have a high candy maker specializing in chocolate ask them if they have a dark bitter sweet chocolate high in cocoa. The chocolate i used last year only had 55% cocoa. You may have to buy it in block form and chip it up to fit in the carboy.


----------



## tjbryner (Nov 16, 2010)

Runningwolf you said that you added it 28 days after you put it into the secondary, Then added the chocolate. Did you take a SG at that time? If so how much would adding the chocolate change it, if any?

I want to do a Candy apple wine with caramel and chocolate. I have a batch of apple but it's completely done working and bulk aging. Would you start a new batch to do this or use the batch that's done?

Thanks 
TJ


----------



## Runningwolf (Nov 16, 2010)

I add the chocolate at the beginning of the 28 day secondary process and leave it in the entire time. Ensure your wine is topped at at the proper time as your wine will finish part way through this process.

I am not familiar with the choc/candy apple. All I can tell you is to experiment on a small one gallon batch. Take notes and keep us posted.


----------



## Sirs (Nov 16, 2010)

I was wondering about the chocolate part what if you used powdered cocoa wouldn't that be better?? seems it would impart more of the flavor and you wouldn't have to use as much I'd think. I would think in probly a shorter time it would sink to the bottom with the lees and could be basically taken out at the next racking


----------



## Runningwolf (Nov 16, 2010)

Eddie, I know most recipes call for using cocoa. I have stepped outside of the bottle for this method and its working for me. I cannot tell you which one is better but only what my results have been. I know what the local professionals are saying at competitions and am really looking forward to what the judges have to say in L.A. And CT. at the international competions. I'll keep you posted.


----------



## DavidB (Nov 16, 2010)

Runningwolf said:


> David Julie already posted a link and type in post #4. If you have a high candy maker specializing in chocolate ask them if they have a dark bitter sweet chocolate high in cocoa. The chocolate i used last year only had 55% cocoa. You may have to buy it in block form and chip it up to fit in the carboy.



Missed it completely. Thanks!


----------



## PAwinedude (Nov 16, 2010)

I checkout out Chocosphere....wow! Helluva a lot of chocolate to choose from there....any recommendations???


----------



## Runningwolf (Nov 16, 2010)

PAwinedude said:


> I checkout out Chocosphere....wow! Helluva a lot of chocolate to choose from there....any recommendations???



Yes as Julie posted earlier, "Go for the chocolate that has 71% cocoa or more". As long as your ordering add some chocolate ice cream syrup also. I ordered in July so I had to pay the extra shipping charge to keep everything cool. You will be able to avoid that charge this time of the year.


----------



## PAwinedude (Nov 16, 2010)

my bad, i asked the wrong question...

do you have any brand recommendations?


----------



## Runningwolf (Nov 16, 2010)

Guittard Chocolate Company. If you can't get this try to find a candy maker and ask for a recommendation close to this. I have gone both ways getting chocolate.


----------



## PAwinedude (Nov 16, 2010)

"I have gone both ways getting chocolate"

So that's what you will do for chocolate????


----------



## Runningwolf (Nov 16, 2010)

LMAO...ahhh that would be a big *NO*


----------



## PAwinedude (Nov 16, 2010)

Sorry Dan,

I couldn't resist...thanks for the info


----------



## dsoares1831 (Dec 26, 2011)

Dan, Would you recommend adding chocolate will aging? Or only during the secondary fermentation process?


----------



## Julie (Dec 26, 2011)

You can add during aging, just remember you will need to rack a couple of times before bottling.


----------



## Runningwolf (Dec 26, 2011)

As Julie said you could add any time but I prefer during secondary. Again you'll need to rack several times.


----------



## dsoares1831 (Dec 26, 2011)

Julie, Dan, thank you very much, just curious though, why would I have to rack several times after adding chocolate during the aging process?


----------



## Runningwolf (Dec 26, 2011)

Racking is just the normal process and not because of the chocolate necessarily.


----------



## dsoares1831 (Jan 19, 2012)

Thank you Dan for your reply, my red wine is now aging, I am looking forward to trying it. Sorry for the late reply! But thanks again!


----------



## LoneTreeFarms (Jun 11, 2012)

bumping this one up. i made julie's candy cane wine in january and added chocolate in march. I just tried it last night and was alittle disappointed. the peppermint came out beautifully but i was hoping for alittle more chocolate taste to come through at the end. any recommendations for how to enhance this??


----------



## Runningwolf (Jun 11, 2012)

You could add more chocolate. How much did you put in it and for how long. What size batch. 

I have always found I added too much chocolate. I did not want to taste it right away up front but wanted to taste it as a secondary taste.


----------



## djrockinsteve (Jun 11, 2012)

Chocolate extract. Not the crap from the grocery store but good high quality extract. I believe I paid $3.00 a bottle and they were very tiny bottles. 

I added a few to my choc. choke cherry wine. Had a light choc. taste but good. 

Can't recall the extract brand though. Search the Internet.


----------



## tonyandkory (Jun 12, 2012)

I decided one day to try putting chocolate in a Malbec so I bought a chocolate bar and opened a bottle. then I put chocolate pieces in the bottle and re corked it and let it sit for a month. 
Have not tried this one yet.

However I found these chocolates at a vintage candy store that were dark chocolate with cayenne pepper in little round balls.I decided why not try this also. 
opened a bottle put in the pieces and re corked. 

this was very good after a month.... Malbec with a dark rich chocolate after effect and you could catch the earth pepper smell on the back end just slightly. 

I didn't rack off the pieces before hand. the 3rd and 4th glasses has nice little pieces of alcoholic candy chocolate in the glass lol


----------



## LoneTreeFarms (Jun 12, 2012)

i used two bags of ghiardelli? choc chips to a 5 gallon batch of peppermint wine. I'll look into adding more chocolate or extract. question is...how much.. thanks


----------



## barbl72 (May 14, 2014)

I'm looking to add chocolate to my black raspberry wine that is already done - just hanging out in a gallon jug. Can I just add dark or semi-sweet according to the posts above and keep racking it/stirring it? How did everybody's wine turn out? I see the above posts are a couple of years old. 
thanks!


----------



## spunk (Oct 10, 2014)

Barb did you ever add the choc to your wine I have some cherry I was wondering if I could add choc to.


----------



## barbl72 (Oct 13, 2014)

spunk said:


> Barb did you ever add the choc to your wine I have some cherry I was wondering if I could add choc to.



I added a piece of really good chocolate to one bottle - haven't drank it yet. We put some in a glass and tasted it all darned day. YUM! I will probably make the wine cloudy, but I don't know yet. Some put cocoa powder in at the beginning. I really don't know how to do it right.


----------



## Julie (Oct 13, 2014)

spunk said:


> Barb did you ever add the choc to your wine I have some cherry I was wondering if I could add choc to.



Get a chocolate that is at least, 65% cocoa, Something like Lindts, add it for 6 weeks and taste, keep it in longer if the chocolate taste isn't where you want it to be.


----------



## spunk (Oct 15, 2014)

Ok thanks Julie o will try that


----------



## spunk (Oct 15, 2014)

I will try that I mean


----------



## spunk (Oct 18, 2014)

I bought Lindt 70% smooth and 85% extra dark. Both 3.5 oz bars I thought I would try both for two different bottles. I'm going to do this in a wine bottle. How much of the choc should I use for one bottle?


----------



## spunk (Oct 20, 2014)

I added two squares to one bottle of finished cherry wine topped with bung and airlock. It seems to be bubbling now. Is it fermenting again or co2? What to do?


----------



## Julie (Oct 20, 2014)

spunk said:


> I added two squares to one bottle of finished cherry wine topped with bung and airlock. It seems to be bubbling now. Is it fermenting again or co2? What to do?



Did you take a hydrometer reading? And was this a wine that had sorbate added to it?


----------



## spunk (Oct 20, 2014)

I bottled this wine in may I just decided choc sounded good so I decided to open and add. Unfortunately this wine was made as one of my first I was still learning to understand the hydrometer and poor notes. It is a dry wine so it should have been done. I have never used the added sorbate to any wines I have made been keeping them on the dry side. I bet I do now. I want to do another bottle with the choc but I don't want to ruin it as it turned out and I like it as it is. A hint of choc sounds very good. I'm doing much better on my notes.


----------



## Julie (Oct 20, 2014)

Chocolate has sugar in it, since you did not add sorbate your wine has started to ferment again.


----------



## spunk (Oct 20, 2014)

Ok so should I leave it alone let it go then rack off. I think i'll wait till I do the other one. So it will increase alcohol and flavor. Maybe it will be good.


----------



## spunk (Nov 24, 2014)

I now have two bottles of cherry wine that I broke some choc up in been about 6 weeks. I re-corked them as too I didn't have any thing else to use. The choc grew so I believe the choc absorbed some of the wine. So Im not so sure I want to take out of the bottles as to I think it will make the bottle wine level too low for storage. Giving one to my brother. Will it be harsh? Will I need to let it age a while too settle. Also I hope the choc is yummy too. Any advice. I guess I need to decide too take the choc out or not. What will happen if I dont. I don't want the choc to be overpowering.


----------



## spunk (Dec 25, 2014)

Waiting for everyone to get up for christmas kinda nice and quiet. I racked and filtered with coffee filter the two bottles of wine the choc soaked a bit of the wine. So before I did this I soaked some of my dried cherries in vodka for a week or so so I could use this to top off I re corked. Keeping one giving one away. Not sure how long to keep it t I ll I drink was good a little choc taste. I try ed the choc on bottom of bottle did not like it. Merry Christmas everyone


----------



## EelfinnTy (Jan 4, 2015)

I just pulled my cherry off the chocolate yesterday. It sat for over 5 weeks on a 6oz, 100% dark chocolate bar. I also added some brandy to make a chocolate cherry "port". Between the sorbate, brandy to make it 20% abv, and 100% cocoa it didn't restart. 

The leftover chocolate solids don't have much/any flavor left. After sampling it yesterday the hard part will be letting it age!


----------



## petey_c (Jan 5, 2015)

I still have a long way to go before I start breaking out of the kits. My main obstacle is time. With brewing, a few months and you can kinda feel what the results will be. With wine, it seems that time span is looonger. I don't want to start adding things before I have an idea of how they'll turn out. 
I'm a red drinker by the way.


----------



## spunk (Mar 22, 2015)

Opened my choc cherry wine it is very nice and clear I am pleased sorry I only have one bottle.


----------



## bsassy2 (Mar 24, 2015)

EelfinnTy, how many gallons of wine did you put the 6 oz of chocolate in?


----------



## spunk (Mar 25, 2015)

I added only an ounce to a bottle of good dark choc. Just for a hint of choc flavor into finished cherry wine for mine.or two squares from a bar.


----------



## EelfinnTy (Mar 26, 2015)

I put my 6 oz to 1gal. Last time I tasted it the chocolate had overwhelmed the cherry flavor. I'm hoping the cherry will come back as it ages.


----------



## EelfinnTy (Apr 8, 2015)

I tasted it the other day while back sweetening a couple other batches. It smells like chocolate and honey. The only cherry I taste is a little bit at the very end. Next time I may start with a smaller amount of chocolate and add more later if it needs it.


----------



## vinnieINtheVinyard (Apr 7, 2017)

*Choco curious*

I'm very new to the world of home wine making. I just did the final cleaning of the carboys. Now I want to add a back note of chocolate during the last couple months of the wine sitting in the carboys. After reading through this thread I'm wondering if can only use a special chocolate in a bar or coin form. I see the mention of using only chocolate that is at least 71% cocoa and low in butter fat, but how would one see such information as that simply is not posted on chocolate packages in the baking section or anywhere else that I've seen. So I assume I can't just add a piece of Hershey's dark chocolate to my carboys right?


----------



## dralarms (Apr 7, 2017)

I'm also needing to find out if I can just add cocoa to a wine, and if so how much would you recommend for a 5 gallon batch?


----------



## EelfinnTy (Apr 7, 2017)

Cocoa powder might be difficult to clear. I used a baking chocolate that was 100% cocoa unsweetened. Just adding a bar of Hersey dark chocolate would probably do it but it would also add some fat, and other things. I spent a little more $ on a quality chocolate. 

Having only attempted it once I am not sure about amounts. On my next attempt I'm going to start with 2-3 Oz per gallon. My previous attempt also needed to be sweeter.


----------



## robert81650 (Apr 7, 2017)

The correct spelling is, scuppernong and not scupperdine. I know all of us here in the South call it scupperdine but the is not correct. But you are right, scuppernong wine is one of the greatest wines of all. Don't take offense to the correction of spelling but just enjoy the wine.


----------



## spunk (Apr 9, 2017)

I have a gal cherry mead bulk,aging I may take half of it and add choc I bought my bars at a pharmacy in candy isle. There are a lot of different types of expensive dark choc.


----------

