In four short years, ChocoVine, a once-unknown wine blend, has grown 500% percent, shipping over half a million cases in 2011. This stratospheric growth comes from a surprising combination of two universal symbols of decadent living, chocolate and wine.
Chocolate and wine are an intuitive blend, though usually enjoyed through pairing a bar of chocolate after a bottle of vino. At AYZA, that is how we came to appreciate chocolate and wine. To put both chocolate and wine in the same bottle is an entirely different matter as it brings out new qualities out of both the chocolate and wine. But it is easier to imagine combining chocolate with wine than actually pull it off. ChocoVine required 2 years of research to get it right, according to Clever Imports CEO Steven Katz, whose company owns the ChocoVine brand. ChocoVine’s flavor is made possible by one of the world’s oldest and most well-known cream manufacturers, Holland-based Dekuyper , founded in 1695. Dekuyper is committed to high quality ingredients.
How to Drink ChocoVine
ChocoVine combines a French Cabernet with dark chocolate and Dutch cream. The result earned a 90 Point, Exceptional Value rating from the Beverage Testing Institute. A competing breed of chocolate-infused wine is wine-based rather than cream-based, the former being less sweet and rich. The flexibility of ChocoVine’s flavoring means it can be served heated with whipped cream, but some say it’s best appreciated very cold, preferably over ice. Either presentation option might be eye-opening to those expecting a typical wine experience. With four flavors available — Original, Whipped Cream, Espresso, and Raspberry — the drink can be served alone or mixed.
ChocoVine has a variety of presentations and a surprising degree of flexibility. Mixed with other liquors and flavorings, some of ChocoVine’s success can be attributed to the dozens of recipes that include rums, vodkas, and liqueurs to make after-dinner aperitifs, in-club martinis, or even milkshake-type drinks. ChocoVine adds a distinct twist that will undoubtedly lead to some classic mixed drinks. Emphasizing the importance of mixology to ChocoVine’s allure, ChocoVine’s Facebook page, which has over 6,000 Likes, features as its main photo a martini glass and the slogan “Mix it your way!”
The adaptability of its unique flavor likely helps maintain its dominance. Pioneering home cooks have gone so far as to incorporate ChocoVine into baked goods, such as cakes and brownies. ChocoVine balances the increase in calories with the double antioxidant benefits of both chocolate and red wine, as well as ChocoVine being gluten-free, ensuring widespread accessibility.
A New Growing Niche
Part of ChocoVine’s growth builds on the novelty of designer-flavor wine and liquor. In the early 2000s, chocolate vodka led the flavored vodka phenomenon, which expanded to include dozens of fruit flavors. Though attempts at chocolate wine first appeared as early at 1995, it’s taken until now to make something that works. Understandably, ChocoVine has built a loyal following. As the world’s most popular chocolate cream-based wine, ChocoVine officials plan to ship over 750,000 cases in 2013, in part due to distribution deals with the largest distributors in the US.
Equally importantly, the company not only cultivated a unique wine but has encouraged and supported a unique culture around it. Conversation around the drink can be shared in the company’s online Choco Lounge. Customer-submitted recipes are featured alongside those developed by ChocoVine mixologists. Videos detailing how to mix these recipes are hosted online as well, leaving no doubt as to the possibility of making ChocoVine a key element at a party or in a featured drink. Tell us your opinion of ChocoVine and how you like to drink it.