The True Story of Rouge Cabosse®
Certain stories seem written in advance.
The story of Rouge Cabosse® is the complete opposite.
It is a succession of coincidences, unexpected encounters and bold intuitions that, piece by piece, ultimately created something undeniable.
It all begins with Olivier Marotte, a food industry chemist who decided in 2011 to devote himself entirely to another passion: wine. He settled in Lambesc, in the hills above Aix-en-Provence, as a wine merchant. By chance, one of his neighbors happened to be a Master Chocolatier… without imagining that this proximity would give birth, a few years later, to a completely unexpected creation.
Very quickly, a genuine friendship emerged, built on exchanges, shared curiosity and a mutual passion for exceptional ingredients.
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In April 2020, inside his neighbor’s workshop, Olivier discovered bags filled with discarded cacao pod husks intended to be thrown away. Out of a simple ecological reflex, he recovered them and used them as mulch in his garden.
A few months later, something unexpected happened: despite the passing time, powerful cacao aromas were still lingering in the air. The fragrances remained intact and persistent.
At that moment, an intuition took shape: what if the cacao pod could meet red wine?
The former chemist resurfaced. Alongside his 13-year-old son, Olivier brought out his laboratory glassware once again. They experimented, adjusted and started over repeatedly. Dozens of trials followed, while the Master Chocolatier validated each stage of the process.
Until they discovered the perfect point of harmony.
In December 2020, Rouge Cabosse® was born: an unprecedented creation combining red wine with natural cacao aromas.
The first productions were made using a local wine from the Lambesc region, following a confidential and artisanal approach.
From 2020 to 2025, Rouge Cabosse® remained a discreet creation. Olivier produced small series of around 400 bottles, sold exclusively in his wine shop, without imagining the full potential of such an atypical creation.
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Then, as often in this story, chance intervened once again.
In January 2024, one of Frédéric Chanal’s friends discovered Rouge Cabosse® in Olivier’s wine shop and left with a bottle under her arm.
She forgot about it. Until the weekend of August 15th, 2024, during an evening gathering with friends, when she placed the bottle on the table alongside a cheese platter.
Frédéric was there.
He tasted it.
And everything began.
Where many would have simply seen an original creation, Frédéric immediately recognized the potential of a true brand capable of expanding far beyond a local wine shop.
An entrepreneur and commercial strategist, he then structured the project, founded Inno Wine, acquired the brand, and launched its development with a clear ambition: to make Rouge Cabosse® an essential signature in France and internationally.
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To go even further in quality and aromatic balance, Frédéric also initiated a major evolution of the product.
The first local wine bases gave way to an AOP Côtes-du-Rhône red wine made from three grape varieties, bringing greater structure, depth and harmony to the recipe.
To guarantee quality and consistency, production is now entrusted to Brasserie des Malfaiteurs in Marseille. Sylvain and Daniel, an oenologist and a zythologist, apply their expertise to the recipe with absolute precision.
Very quickly, Rouge Cabosse® attracted the attention of professionals from the worlds of taste and gastronomy.
Thierry Marx’s team selected the product for the Salon du Bon in Paris. Edmond Gasser, sommelier at Maison Anne-Sophie Pic, also praised the singularity and potential of this creation.
Meanwhile, Hasnaâ Ferreira, world chocolate champion, immediately recognized the accuracy of the pairing and the finesse of its balance.
These converging perspectives confirmed what the first tastings had already suggested: Rouge Cabosse® does not merely surprise — it belongs to a true gastronomic approach.
Today, the brand relies on more than 90 partners across France, including wine merchants, gourmet delicatessens, cheesemongers, chocolatiers, and selected gastronomic restaurants.
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Rouge Cabosse® was not born from a business plan.
It was born from an encounter between science, nature and audacity.