New England has many wineries that produce fruit wines. Diamond Hill Vineyard is a vineyard and winery local to me in RI. It is located in Cumberland, RI and is quaint and unexpected. Even some locals are not aware of its existence. This was my first experience with fruit wine and I was not disappointed. These wines are popular in New England and are made by the fermenting of the fruit. Fermentation is the breakdown of sugar into alcohol. The results are sweet and delicious. Fruit wines are popular in New England. However, you can find them in other areas throughout the country and at liquor stores.

These brownies are made with raspberry fruit wine. I used a Limited Reserve Raspberry Wine that I purchased at Diamond Hill Vineyard at a wine tasting a while back. Chocolate and raspberries are a wonderful combination. Adding this wine brings a subtle taste of raspberry to the brownies. To create a whole raspberry and chocolate experience I also made chocolate raspberry sauce and added vanilla ice cream to make a sophisticated sundae.

Raspberry Wine Brownies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup raspberry fruit wine
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Heat the butter and chocolate in a sauce pan over low heat until just melted, stir constantly so it does not burn.
3. Once completely melted pour into a mixing bowl.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.
5. Pour batter into a 9 x 13 greased baking dish.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Raspberry hot fudge

Ingredients:

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons raspberry fruit wine

Instructions:

1. Combine chocolate chips and heavy cream over low heat.
2. Stir constantly until melted and smooth.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the wine.

Use immediately and keep any leftovers in the refrigerator. Any leftovers can be reheated.

Enjoy and sweeten the soul with chocolate!