The Aldi Sommelier: The Chocolate Cellar

 Valentine's Day is right around the corner and Aldi is in full swing promoting seasonal items. As soon as I saw The Chocolate Cellar, I knew I had to try. The packaging is eye-catching, and I was intrigued by the dark chocolate flavor. Typically, I dislike super sweet wines and any sort of chocolate-flavored alcohol. But, because this was a Red Wine with natural dark chocolate flavors, I wanted to know how it tasted. For $8, this was worth the try.
Wow! As soon as you open it, you can smell the chocolate. As I spun it around the glass, the smell reminded me of tootsie-rolls. The description claims flavors of candied cherries and caramel. At first you taste the sweet red wine which is immediately followed by dark cherries. The flavor settles into chocolate with a hint of caramel. There are definitely many layers of flavor!
To me, this is my kind of dessert wine since it's not sickening sweet. I can't decide, however, if it tastes "natural". It would pair well with cheese and fruit, definitely not a meal wine. It's very different and not like any wine I've tried before. I was happy after one glass but didn't go back for more which is not a good sign. You have to be in the mood to keep drinking this. I did crave a small glass this evening but still couldn't finish my glass. For this reason, I rate this wine a 3/5.