Simple Mulled Wine Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What wine is best for mulled wine? ›

The best red wine to use for mulled wine is Merlot, Zinfandel or Garnacha (also called Grenache). These wines are dark, fruity and full bodied, which means they can support all of the flavors we'll be adding. Look for labels that describe the wine as “jammy” or with “notes of vanilla.”

Red wines are traditionally used to make mulled wine, and while any red wine can work, sweet reds will give you a nice, sweet base, meaning less sugar added in later. If you use a dry red, keep in mind you may need to add more sugar than a recipe calls for.

It is commonly a combination of orange, lemon, cinnamon, nutmeg, fennel seed (or star anise), cloves, cardamom, and ginger. The spices may be combined and boiled in a sugar syrup before red wine is added, heated, and served. Variations include adding brandy or ginger wine.

Unless you keep it boiling for a while it won't lose much alcohol content. While pure ethanol does evapoate quickly at a relatively low temperature, the lower the alcohol content gets, the more slowly does more alcohol evaporate at that temperature. Mulled wine will typically have between eight and 13 per cent abv.

Mulled Wine Ingredients:

Wine: No need to splurge on a pricey bottle — a mid-range bottle of dry red or white wine will do. (Or if you're making a big batch, this is a great recipe to break out a nicer boxed wine too!)

Method. Put the red wine, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, lemon zest and sugar in a large pan. Cook on a low heat for 10 mins. Remove from the heat and cool, leaving to infuse for about 30 mins.

The Spices

Ground spices are much easier to overdo, which can lead to a bitter mulled wine that tastes more like raw cinnamon than a delightful, warming beverage. Cinnamon is the most essential spice in mulled wine. Every spiced wine recipe calls for this charming stick of flavor.

The Best Wine for Mulled Wine

The best wines for mulled wine are richly fruity, medium-bodied ones with little oak aging, because these stand up to the bold sweetness and spice of the hot drink without tasting too tannic. For example, try a Chilean Merlot, a Zinfandel from California or a Grenache from Spain.

The reason they are cheaper than a bottle of red wine is because there is far less red wine in them! If you read the (very) small print on the label of Lidl's Christkindl Gluhwein, it is described as a "Flavoured beverage containing wine".

Yes. Even though the spiced wine is heated, most of the alcohol remains.

How to make simple wine at home? ›

Buy a 64 oz bottle jug of grape juice or white grape juice, open the jug and remove 16 oz., leaving 48 oz. Pour 1 1/2 cups of sugar in the jug and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast. Tighten the cap and shake well for 2–3 minutes. Loosten the cap so air can circulate and store in a warm dark place for 3 weeks.

Then let the mulled wine cool at room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container, and store it in the fridge — it will keep well there for up to three days.

The red wine base in mulled wine brings its own set of health benefits. Resveratrol is associated with heart health benefits and may help protect the lining of blood vessels, lower bad cholesterol levels, and prevent blood clots. When consumed in moderation, red wine has been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease.

Ainsley Harriott recommends mulling wines in a slow cooker and says two hours at low temperature gives excellent results and should retain most alcohol content.

Choose your wine carefully

As wine forms the base for the mulled wine, you do want to be careful with your selection. A bottle of Levant Shiraz makes the perfect base - we don't recommend Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir. Cabernet Sauvignon is too high in tannin, and Pinot Noir is too light to carry the spices.

When the winter winds blow, stir up a batch co*cktail to share that's as warm as it's comforting! Aromatic spices, citrus and sweet honey complement the flavors of pinot grigio in a way that's sure to chase away the cold.

It's not unheard of to serve mulled wine in glasses, as long as they meet a few requirements. You'll want to look for goblets rather than standard wine glasses, as they tend to have thicker glass to better protect your hands and a sturdy stem. Often they'll also be decorated which makes them a nice, decorative touch.