Tipsy Treat: Rubis Chocolate Wine

What are my two favourite soul-soothers on rainy/stressy/slightly stabby days? Chocolate and wine. What do you get when you combine them together? THE WORLD'S BEST IDEA, THAT'S WHAT.

We've all done the flavoured liqueur thing (Biscotti Baileys is like drinking liquid biscuits and I'm very okay with that), but a bunch of genius types have created Rubis Chocolate Wine. It's not a liqueur, it's a fortified wine that has been blended with actual chocolate. Oh boy.

It's 100% Tempranillo (the grape used to make Rioja), grown in Spain, and is a very reasonable 15% abv - so not much more than most Aussie/Argentinian reds, then.

I had the pleasure of trying it at the London International Wine Fair a fortnight ago, and it knocked me for six. What starts as a cherry, berry, silky red slowly develops in the mouth to become pure velvetty chocolate goodness. It's like nothing I've ever tried before - not too rich, not too sickly, not too tart. Just very drinkable.

I think it benefits from being ever so slightly chilled, or poured over ice on a dreamy evening.

Where can you buy this little treasure? Well, they have a country-wide list of UK merchants on their website but you can also buy it online from various places, including Fraziers Wine Merchants for £8.99 (you'll need to pay £6.95 delivery though unless you're ordering £100 or over.)

Best. Invention. Ever.