Adding chocolate to wine

[vschlaff]

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.

 

[Julie]

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

 

[Arne]

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.

 

[hobbyiswine]

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?

 

[Julie]

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

 

[Julie]

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.

 

[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.

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.

 

[vschlaff]

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!!

 

[robie]

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.

 

[Julie]

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.

 

[Julie]

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.

 

[vschlaff]

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.

 

[Julie]

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.

 

[Lurker]

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

Thanks,
Richard L.

 

[Julie]

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

 

[dangerdave]

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.

 

[vschlaff]

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

 

[vschlaff]

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%!!

 

[Julie]

Ginny,

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

 

[vschlaff]

Ok! Thanks Julie.