Taste tested: This entrepreneur’s proven pairing puts KC red wine chocolate on the map

Wine and chocolate: a classic pairing that compelled chemist-turned-entrepreneur Shawn Hall to concoct what he believes is the perfect combination of two beloved tastes.

Cocoavino

Cocoavino — his velvety blend of Belgian dark chocolate and a complex red wine reduction that first debuted on the market in 2021 — recently skied to the national stage at the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen, Colorado.

“It’s the biggest food event in the country,” Hall said of the showcase started by Food and Wine Magazine in 1983, noting it features “the top innovators in the industry and people that are challenging and doing new things.”

Hall — who wasn’t aware of any other Kansas City-area companies participating in the 2024 gathering earlier this month — provided samples, along with 150 other vendors, in the Grand Tasting Pavilion during the event.

“People were very curious about what red wine chocolate is,” he said of interest before the event. “It’s a good test for Cocoavino. … If it’s approved and has been tested by those who have critiqued the highest quality products and restaurants in the world, that’s a nice stamp to put on your brand for sure.”

The Food and Wine Classic offers an opportunity to make connections with “movers and shakers” in the restaurant and distribution industries, he added.

Cocoavino already can be found at nearly 125 retail locations — including all the Made In KC stores, as well as wineries, bakeries, and grocery stores — from St. Louis to Hays and Wichita to Omaha and online at Made In KC and Market Wagon.

Click here to explore Cocoavino.

Shawn Hall, Cocoavino

Hall’s experimentation with recipes for red wine chocolate began in 2018, he shared, noting the inspiration came from his wife’s love of the individual components.

“You have two products that are very, very high in flavor compounds and they’re very similar,” he explained. “The mouth and the brain can only process so much at a time, so I tried to maximize that while also bringing up all the enjoyable flavors at the same time.”

His formula even appeals to those who don’t like wine or chocolate, he noted.

Cocoavino paired with a raspberries and croissant

“When cooking with wine, I think of it as a food ingredient,” he explained. “It offers a little bit of fruit and a little bit of dynamic flavor and depth. And then people who don’t like chocolate — believe it or not — really like this product because they don’t like the bitterness, it turns out. That wine reduction and the fruit smooth out that bitterness.”

Once he found the perfect combo, his wife suggested he sell the red wine chocolate, Hall continued.

“I looked it up and saw that nobody had ever packaged it,” he said. “They’ve cooked with it. They pair it, but no one has ever packaged it, necessarily. So I started to look into it and it just took off pretty fast.”

In addition to sales through local and regional retailers, Hall now provides samples and sells jars at the City Market and festivals and events across Kansas City and the country. This year he’ll be traveling to festivals in New York, Nebraska, and Texas. Next year, he plans on going to California, Oregon, and Washington.

“I’m very old school,” he acknowledged. “My ground game is marketing.”

Cocoavino is a playful and versatile chocolate, he noted. Some of the most popular pairings for the brand include Cocoavino with croissants, apples, strawberries or heated and poured over ice cream or cheesecake.

In the winter, he packages the jars with cinnamon marshmallows made by KC-based The Modest Mallow and includes a recipe for hot chocolate. Or it can just be enjoyed with a spoon.

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“It makes people feel special,” Hall explained. “That’s the one thing about Cocoavino, I didn’t know where it would go. I really wanted people to just explore and play and to hear all the cool ideas. But what I got most out of it is, it’s a very special indulgence.”