Random Reviews is a simple collection of equipment, software and consumer reviews for creative people and artists, with really good pictures (click on photos to see hi-res versions where available). All the products are ones that I’ve purchased and used. Reviews are completely independent and are one of the many arms of CreativeMedia.org.uk..
Chocolate Shop’s “The Chocolate Lover’s Wine”
Chocolate Wine. Can it possibly work?
Reviewers: AHW, KH, PU.
This wine has been on offer for some time in our local supermarket, with little sign of any reduction in the number of bottles on the shelf. We instantly thought “No!” but thought we’d give it a go as a wine tasting party.
Nose test #1 - smelling from the bottle
AHW: “Smells like synthetic chocolate food flavouring and slightly acidic red wine.”
KH: “Smells chocolatey; dark chocolate with cherry brandy.”
PU: “Ahhh, where have I smelt that before? Reminds me a bit of Old Spice aftershave but something you could drink without dying… Ah, it’s the same smell as those chocolate flavoured candles!”
Nose test #2 (in the glass)
AHW: “Nasty.”
KH: “Smells like Mon Cherie chocolate in the glass.”
PU: “Ugh! I don’t like that at all! Smells like a red wine mixed with chocolate flavouring. I’m rather dreading tasting it!”
The taste!
AHW: “It’s horrible. Kind of sweet synthetic like really old cheap alcohol that’s been left in the cupboard for ages. It’s worse than when I mixed up drinking chocolate with red wine.”
KH: “Well, it still has a cherry flavour, definitely, and a hint of dark chocolate in the finish. It benefits from breathing. It’s not quite as nasty as it was on the first taste.”
PU: “It doesn’t taste as bad as it smells. If I don’t breathe in when I drink… but there’s still that nasty smell in my nose. I can just about finish my tasting glass, but I don’t think I’ll be having another. Definitely wouldn’t buy it again. If you must drink it, hold your nose and swig like a drunk teenager.”
Chocolate and wine taste test
This being a “chocolate lover’s wine”, we thought we should try it with some chocolate. We chose Prestat’s Dark and Rich Chocolate (71%).
KH: “Pretty much the same taste as before. Doesn’t match the chocolate because the cherry flavour is like a sour cherry flavour. I’d need more chocolates to form more opinions. I recommend sticking to coffee or a good whisky to accompany chocolate.”
(AHW and PU refused to drink any more.)
Further comments
AHW: “If you drank too much red wine and ate too much chocolate and threw up, it would taste like this. It’s not the most disgusting chocolate product I’ve ever tasted (Chocolate Empire’s Basil chocolates).”
KH: “It keeps changing taste; now it tastes more of sugar than of chocolate.”
PU: “My home-made Rioja tastes really nice after this. I hope I’m not sick; I feel a bit queasy.”
Ratings (out of five stars)
AHW: (no stars)
KH: ✸✸
PU: (no stars)
We bought Chocolate Shop’s “The Chocolate Lover’s Wine” for £5.99 in Co-op supermarket, UK, September 2012. KH took it home to see if mulling improved it.
Comments
All comments are moderated so yours may take up to a few days to appear. Abusive or irrelevant comments, malware and spam won’t be published.
“KH returned the wine at Christmas! But some guests actually LIKED it with their mince pies, especially when warmed up a bit!”
“ > REPLY: Wow! Shows how charitable (or desperate!) people can be at Christmas”
“Tasted this too. Absolutely disgusting. Avoid it!”
“Given to me last night by a dinner guest. Undoubtably the worst wine in the world.”
“Well I liked it very much so there!”