The Absolute Best Red Wine To Add To Hot Chocolate For A Boozy Kick

Red wine cocktails like sangria and cozy spiced mulled wines are long-standing favorites. But, adding red wine to hot chocolate is the extravagant boozy dessert drink you've probably never thought of but should definitely try. We've consulted an expert to give you the absolute best red wine pairings for hot chocolate. Amy Racine, beverage director and partner at JF Restaurants, gave Tasting Table plenty of options for wine and chocolate pairings as well as how to incorporate the two into a rich, boozy, hot dessert drink.

"For a red wine hot chocolate, look for a rich red with fruity notes that complement the chocolate," she says. "Think of wines you would want to eat with chocolate; zinfandel, malbec, or syrah can work well. Avoid tannic wines like cabernet sauvignon with chocolate, though, as the tannins can clash with the chocolate."

Zinfandels, malbecs, and syrahs all share tasting notes of plum, cherry, berries, and chocolate. They're full bodied and juicy enough to stand up to the richness and robustness of creamy hot chocolate. You can read more about each red wine variety on our guide.

Chocolate comes from the bitter cacao beans, so sugar and milk bring a sweet and creamy balance to its bitter finish. Tannins are a compound in red wine that come from the same polyphenol family as chocolate. A super tannic wine would thus double up on the bitter flavor to the detriment of the drink as a whole.

Spiking hot chocolate with red wine can take on many forms, but they're all easy to execute. Amy Racine explains how and when to add wine to hot chocolate, giving you a few options to suit personal tastes.

"Over heat, combine it with your preferred hot chocolate ingredients (milk, cream, chocolate, sugar, etc.)," she explains. "You can use the wine to partially or fully replace the liquid in your recipe, but I prefer to cut the dairy in half for a more concentrated and rich cocoa. Add the wine towards the end of the heating process, just before serving, to preserve its delicate aromas. Stir well to combine and enjoy your warm and comforting adult beverage."

"We have a take on this at La Marchande called Vin au Chocolat made with mulled wine," she continues. "Adding in some baking spice tones like cinnamon and anise also found on the palate of your wine can really bring it all together."

We have plenty of hot chocolate recipes with spices to spike with red wine. For example, this ginger hot chocolate will bring a spicy complement to a fruity zinfandel. You can also make this spiced Grand Marnier hot chocolate even more boozy by substituting half of the milk with malbec. Swap the water for wine in this hearty and spicy Mexican hot chocolate champurrado garnished with these fresh cinnamon sticks from Happy Belly.