Wine Coffee? This Isn’t Even an April Fools’ Joke

April Fools’ Day is upon us. Time to brace for the onslaught of stupid office pranks, phony news stories, and a slurry of [bad] jokes. You might think we at Wine Folly are just contributing to the madness with the headline. But, rest assured, this wine-based beverage is actually real. We can’t believe it either.

Coffee Wine

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not unusual to enjoy a splash of Bailey’s Irish Cream, Irish Whiskey, or even an Italian Amaro in your weekend coffee. But coffee with wine? Hrmm. That said, Robert Mondavi used to enjoy a spoonful of red wine in his morning coffee:

“About 8 ounces of coffee, an ounce and a half of wine, and sugar to taste,” said Mondavi. “When I was growing up, my mother would give me a little coffee with a little red wine in it. I grew accustomed to it.” Robert Mondavi, LA Times 1991

If reading that made you thirsty, Friends Fun Wine Company has two ready-made products that want to quench your coffee-flavored wine thirst. A Cabernet Coffee Espresso and Chardonnay Coffee Cappuccino drink, both contain 6% ABV and no caffeine and are served in double-sized cans. The company states they use “quality grapes from the EU…” and, “produce our products in the EU…with proprietary formulas.” Unfortunately, for a wine geek, that’s not a lot of viticulture or vinification information. We don’t even know what country these grapes came from and if they are even Cabernet Sauvignon.

As for taste, we’re currently trying to get our hands on a can to give you a professional opinion. In the mean time, to quote the site:

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“Cabernet Coffee Espresso™ features the rich flavor of fresh Cabernet grapes, espresso coffee, and a hint of chocolate.”

“Chardonnay Coffee Cappuccino™ features sweet, refreshing Chardonnay grapes with vanilla cappuccino coffee and smooth hints of chocolate.”

Coffee wine is only available in certain states.

If you’re not quite ready for coffee-flavored wine, maybe try wine-flavored coffee

You can find coffee beans aged in used Merlot barrels or even beans soaked in wine. Molinari Private Reserve Company soaks its coffee in a house wine blend made from various Napa Valley vintners before drying and roasting. They claim this process imparts the “wine’s nose and history” into the beans. Whether you will really get the flavor of wine in your brew is debatable, but certainly don’t expect to get tipsy, as both products are alcohol-free. 

Make Your Own Coffee Wine

Both of the aforementioned beverages rely on flavoring to meet your coffee and wine needs. So, if you’re looking for a product that contains both real wine (read: alcohol) and actual coffee (read: caffeine), you might have to make it yourself.

Absolut Vodka made up a Russian Coffee cocktail. Here’s the recipe:

1½ parts vodka
2⅔ parts coffee
2⅔ parts red wine
⅓ part simple syrup

Serve in a chilled wine glass.