Take Your Pie to the Next Level With This 1 Surprising Ingredient

I enjoy a glass of wine, typically savoring not just the flavor, but the entire process from opening the bottle and letting it breathe to taking that first sip that transports me to wherever those grapes grew. That’s why the idea of using a full bottle of wine to make a pie made me cringe. Would I be able to pour every last drop out of the bottle and into a pot, instead of into my glass? I’m a wine-lover after all, and I prefer drinking wine as opposed to eating it, or at least I thought.

What Is Bottle of Wine Chocolate Pie?

While there are plenty of versions of bottle-of-wine pie on the internet, they all have the same basic ingredients, cornstarch, sugar, red wine, chocolate, and a pie crust. Some recipes call for combining all of these ingredients right in a pie shell and baking it. That seemed too risky considering the importance of thoroughly whisking the ingredients to ensure the filling is smooth and creamy, not clumpy. I chose to use a recipe that required whisking and cooking the mixture before pouring it into a prepared pie shell. After the wine-chocolate mixture is made, it’s poured into a baked chocolate cookie crust and refrigerated. Once it’s fully firm, it’s topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

How to Make Bottle of Wine Chocolate Pie

As I mentioned, I used a recipe online that was easy to follow.

1. The first step is to prepare and fully cool a cookie crust, though you can easily use a store-bought pie crust here.
2. To make the decadent filling, start by combining 1/2 cup cornstarch with 1 1/4 cups sugar in a saucepan. Now the fun part: slowly pour in an entire bottle of wine, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Continue stirring while the mixture cooks over medium heat until it thickens (8-10 minutes).
3. Once it's very thick, turn off the heat and stir in 12 ounces of chopped-up bittersweet chocolate, 2 tablespoons of butter, and a pinch of salt. Stir until smooth.
4. Pour this rich, aromatic filling into your crust and refrigerate the whole thing until it's chilled and set, at least 4 hours, up to overnight. Serve each slice with fresh whipped cream.

Luckily, this is a pretty easy pie to make, so consider it a low-stress situation. After trying it though, I do have a few recommendations.

Helpful Tips

Tip 1: Choose a good pie crust. You can opt for a store-bought crust, but I chose to make my own from chocolate cookie crumbs. It was easy and it gave my daughter something fun to do so that I could focus my attention on mourning the loss of my bottle of wine. All kidding aside, the homemade pie crust made the pie in my opinion, so give it a try.

Tip 2: Choose a decent bottle of wine. You’ll be so very tempted to grab the $3 bottle of whatever red you can find, but I suggest you don’t. You can absolutely taste the wine in this pie, so if you go with something that’s just “okay,” you’ll end up with a pie that’s just “okay,” and that’s not okay. I used a $10 Syrah, but Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Pinot Noir would work well too.

Tip 3: Don’t skip the whipped cream. This is a decadent dessert and the chocolate paired with wine will punch you in the face. You will be grateful for the whipped cream which will soften the blow. If you don’t feel like making yours from scratch (just know that it will be better that way and you’ve been warned), then swap in some prepared whipped cream.

Bottle of Wine Pie Taste Test Takeaway

Even though I was initially sad about pouring a whole bottle of wine into this pie, as soon as I took a bite, my sadness turned to joy. The filling was smooth, rich, and luxurious, and tasted like I was somehow enjoying a bite of chocolate and a sip of wine at the same time. The cookie crust provided a satisfying texture and crunch and the whipped cream cut through the acidity of all of that chocolate and wine, making every bite perfect.

All that being said, I’m not sure I’d make this pie regularly, especially considering there are only two adults in this house who can enjoy it. Instead, I’ll save it for dinner parties and holiday gatherings—when I say I’ll bring dessert and a bottle of wine.