Clear glass mug of Red Wine Hot Chocolate on a white saucer with chocolate chips

We live out in the middle of nowhere. Like, so far out in the middle of nowhere that we heard sirens off in the distance the other day, and I tried to remember the last time I heard an ambulance and couldn’t think of another time. That’s the way we like itโ€”nice and isolated.

We have next to nothing in the way of amenities near to us. We have a tiny grocery store in our town (like, smaller than most convenience stores tiny), a gas station, a couple of down-home restaurants, and one, um, rugged drinking establishment. We did get a RedBox last year, and that was kinda a huge deal.

Red Wine Hot Chocolate being poured from a pot into a clear glass mug

It’s all well and good, because we make regular trips to the “big city” to stock up on former city-dweller essentials like chia seeds (for my morning elixir and overnight oats) and craft beer (for drinking, duh). The long drive to Whole Foods is totally worth our blissfully private life out in the country. And, we are fortunate enough to have one really awesome city-living attraction near to usโ€”one of the best wineries and distilleries in the area is a whopping 10 minutes from our house.

People drive for hours to get there, but we can just hop over on a random Wednesday to do some wine tasting (and we have). They also have one heck of an awesome flatbread pizza menu. It’s nice to have such a high quality touch of city life out here in the country (and it’s always fun watching the city-slickers who drive out here to get back to nature).

Glass mug of Red Wine Hot Chocolate on a white saucer with chocolate chips

One of our favorite things to do at the winery is head up to their tasting bar and do their distillery tasting flight. We aren’t huge wine peopleโ€”I don’t mind a glass every now and again, but I’d much rather have a good beer or a G&Tโ€”so getting to sip on all their speciality spirits is a really fun thing for us to do.

Last time we were there, when our bartender brought out the last item in our flightโ€”a raspberry brandyโ€”he set out a big pile of dark chocolate chunks for us to nibble on with the brandy. He said the chocolate really made the brandy, and he was right, it was incredible! That pairing got me thinking of different ways to use chocolate and booze together in recipes. That moment right there was the origination spark for this boozy, wine-based hot chocolate recipe!

Clear glass mug of Red Wine Hot Chocolate next to chocolate chips

This red wine hot chocolate is gloriously rich and boozy, but still wonderfully balanced. It has enough chocolate in it so that folks who aren’t big wine fans (hello, me) will still love it. It doesn’t taste like wine, it just tastes like a rich, warm, fruity (and, ahem, alcoholic) hot chocolate. Of course, you can highly impact the flavor of your mug of cocoa by changing what kind of wine you use. For a sweeter, fruitier end result, use a fruit wine (like a raspberry or strawberry wine). If you want something drier, use a merlot, shiraz or cabernet sauvignon. Unlike regular hot cocoa, I don’t think this hot cocktail needs any sort of garnishโ€”no whipped cream or marshmallows here. It is gloriously rich all on its own.

I would recommend making sure to use high-quality chocolateโ€”you can really taste the difference in simple recipes like this. My go-to chocolate chips are the Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet. I like that they are a top-shelf brand (or at least, higher shelf) that you can get at most “normal” grocery storesโ€”well, normal if you live in a town bigger than the size of a postage stamp. Ghiradelli chips are pricier than a lot of the other brands in the store, but I think the difference is worth the money. Enjoy!

 
Red Wine Hot Chocolate

Red Wine Hot Chocolate

Yield: 4 servings
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

Red Wine Hot Chocolate is rich, chocolatey, and gloriously boozy. It's the perfect snow day treat for adults!

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips {recommended: Ghiradelli}
  • 2/3 cup dry red wine (merlot, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon)
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 2 tablespoons sugar, optional (see notes)
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Combine the chocolate chips, wine, milk, half, and half and sugar (if using), in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is hot.
  2. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Pour into mugs and serve

Notes

If you'll need to use the sugar or not will depend on the sweetness of your wine. If you're using a very dry wine, you'll want to add in the sugar. It's best to take a sip without the sugar, and then add it in if need be.

For a sweeter, fruiter vibe, swap out the dry wine for a fruit wineโ€”make sure you omit the sugar.

Zest on a little bit of orange or clementine peel just before serving to really take this drink over the top!

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 252Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 72mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 2gSugar: 24gProtein: 3g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.

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49 Comments

  1. DELISH! If you have 2 brain cells for cooking, you can do this….not sure what the h people in the comments are doing. So rich and tasty.

    1. Hi Arika! We’re so sorry this didn’t turn out for you! Nobody wants their dreamy, creamy, boozy chocolate to turn into a curdled nightmare mess! Unfortunately, we’ve never had that happen with any of the wines we’ve used in this, so we can’t say for sure what’s happening. We think it might have something to do with how acidic the wine you’re using is. If you’re up for trying it again, we’d recommend either trying a different wine or heating everything on the stove except the wine and then adding the wine off the heat. Hopefully, that will help! Let us know how it turns out if you give it another go!

  2. Not only did the milk/half and half curdle immediately, it tasted horrible even after it was all done. There are a thousand other things to do with wine, and this is perhaps the worst.

  3. This drink is kind of sensual. ๐Ÿ™‚ I made this with almond milk, a Lindt dark chocolate bar (70%), and some Malbec red wine and I loved it. It was creamy and just rich enough. Iโ€™ll be making it again.

  4. 2/3 cup of chocolate chips seems excessive for less than 2 cups of liquid.
    I have made a full crock pot of hot chocolate. I used 2 cups of chocolate chips and that was extremely rich.

  5. Hello
    What is this half and half?
    The only half and half, that I know is the beermix of kilkenny and guinness.

    Terje