The Chocolate Cellar Red sells for $7.99 at Aldi but is available on the web at other wine outlets. This is a non-vintage Red wine (they do not mention the grape or grapes used) with added chocolate flavors. Aldi seems to be the go-to location for flavored wines.
They have a wine-based chocolate drink from Germany, along with vanilla and cherry flavors. The Chocolate Cellar Red is a Red wine with flavor added, so they are not the same thing. The Chocolate Cellar is made for Aldi by the largest family-owned wine company in the Northwest. They do not show this wine on their website, but they do have their own chocolate wine under a slightly different name.
While a good, rich Red wine and chocolate do well together I am more of a fan of a nice bottle of red and a box of truffles. But, today they are doing a wonderful job of adding realistic flavors to food and beverages.
The Chocolate Cellar Red says it incorporates “natural” chocolate flavors. Flavors and aromas are some forms of chemical compounds, so yeah it is technically natural. The real test is not how natural the flavors are, but how realistic.
Chocolate and vanilla flavors are frequently found in Red wine, but they are the result of oak barrel aging and not added ingredients. A few years back I had a French Sparkling wine that was infused with peach flavor which was surprisingly delicious, so I have an open mind concerning the Chocolate Cellar Red.
This chocolate wine is 8% sugar by weight, they typically measure sugar content by grams per liter and not a percentage of the total weight. So if you are counting calories, beware. The alcohol content is 13.5%.
The Chocolate Cellar Red Tasting Notes
The color is dark black cherry red. The nose is Snickers bar and ripe cherries, hazelnut, and caramel, it smells more like an ice cream sundae than Red wine. The Chocolate Cellar Red is very smooth and if you are a fan of chocolate-covered cherries or strawberries you will enjoy the taste.
This chocolate wine tastes like candy bar chocolate and ripe red berries with a little caramel and butterscotch on the finish. The chocolate flavors are more Snickers/Mars bar than Godiva, but they do taste chocolatey. This means The Chocolate Cellar Red delivered on what was promised.
The Summary
- The Chocolate Cellar Red tastes like choclate candy in liquid form.
- It probably has the same calories, so drink accordingly.
Can’t locate in Michigan.
The same company that made The Chocolate Cellar Red for Adli have their own chocolate wine https://www.chocolateshopwine.com
Is this wine gluten free?
Most wine is gluten-free, but wine with added flavors may not be. This wine has added natural flavors and they do not indicate what is in those flavors.
So it is possible the wine has some glutens.