What is mulled wine actually?
For mulled wine is classic red or white wine mixed with various spices and heated. Which wine you choose depends entirely on your personal taste.
The same goes for the ones used Spices (cinnamon, anise, lemon peel, orange slices, cloves, vanilla pods, etc.) – and whether you like the mulled wine Sweeten at the end (e.g. with agave syrup, sugar or honey) want. Depending on your taste you can also Fruit juices (e.g. grape or apple juice) can be added.
Make mulled wine yourself – this is how it works:
- Put the selected wine (1 liter for 4-6 cups) in a saucepan and add spices to taste.
- Slowly warm the pot on the stove. Important: Never heat mulled wine over 80 ° C or bring it to the boil, because from 78 ° C the alcohol begins to evaporate. In addition, the heat has a negative effect on the spices.
- If necessary, remove larger spices and orange slices, pour the mulled wine into cups or glasses and decorate with a cinnamon stick or lemon wedge as you wish.
Which wine is best for mulled wine?
Mulled wine with red wine
If you want to go for red wine in the classic way, you can, for example, choose a dry country wine from France: Côtes du Rhône and Vin de Pays are very suitable for this. But are also suitable Italian Merlo, Spanish Tinto and Dornfelder or Trollinger from German wine-growing regions.
Mulled wine with white wine
It is no wonder that white mulled wine is becoming increasingly popular in this country too. It offers a light, fresh alternative to the classic. Its fruity aroma and higher acidity provide a welcome change.
Take it here, for example dry or semi-dry Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner or Pinot Blanc. Also Riesling can be suitable for a white mulled wine. Alternatively, try a white one Vin de Pays or a Pinot Grigio.
This is how you season mulled wine
Opinions differ on spices: While some prefer a strong spice aroma, others leave it with a subtle note.
The mulled wine is also classic Cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise and cardamom seasoned. Other popular spices for hot wine are:
- pimento
- Vanilla pods
- ginger
- nutmeg
- Coriander (seed)
- Juniper berries
But you can also experiment with fennel seeds, bay leaves, red pepper berries and mace and make your own mulled wine spice.
tip: Put the spices in a new tea bag and cook them, then remove them. So you don't have to laboriously remove the spices later.
How else can you refine mulled wine?
In addition to the spices, you can of course also experiment with different fruits. They ensure a pleasant acidity. Citrus fruits are particularly popular, such as Oranges, lemons and blood oranges. But also Elderberries, apple and pear pieces can be interesting. If you are particularly keen to experiment, try it out Cranberries, pomegranate seeds and rose hips.
Sweeten the mulled wine
When refining with citrus fruits, however, caution is advised: if the wine already has a certain acidity and the spices provide a strong aroma, the mulled wine will quickly become bitter. Then sweeten it with Cane sugar, honey or agave syrup after. Or try it for a change Jam (e.g. orange jam) or juices. Also port wine can give the drink a pleasant sweetness, but increases the alcohol content.
The perfect mulled wine recipe for every taste
We rely on homemade mulled wines instead of bought ones! With the right mulled wine recipe, that's no problem at all. The advantage: purchased mulled wines usually contain far too much sugar, are often of poor quality and only taste half as good as the homemade variants.
We can also get really creative with our own creations and vary the spices – such as cardamom pods, aniseed, cloves, cinnamon and vanilla pods. Fruits also spice up the basic recipe. Cherries, blueberries, orange or lingonberries, for example, are suitable for this. And if you want to go faster, let's just refine our favorite wine with mulled wine spices – the winter can stay that way!
Mulled wine recipes for the cold season
Are you still looking for delicious inspiration for your homemade mulled wine? Then you will find recipes from the BRIGITTE test kitchen above that are guaranteed to succeed. For example, try our mulled cherry wine. And of course we'll also tell you how Glögg works in the home kitchen.
Also delicious: Feuerzangenbowle! We'll show you how the cult drink works.
Difference: mulled wine, punch, Glögg & Co.
Glögg, the Scandinavian hot drink in winter, contains red wine and spices as well Grain or vodka. grog turn will be off hot water, sugar and rum prepared.
Meanwhile, punch is rounded off with arrack, a spirit from the Southeast Asian region. It also contains lemon, sugar and spices. Tea or water is used as the basis for this hot drink.
You can also find recipes for punch without alcohol:
The so-called children's punch is made from tea, fruit juice and pieces of fruit. Again, spices such as cinnamon sticks and cloves are essential. Children's punch is not only a delicious drink for the little ones, but is also ideal if you want to avoid alcohol.
Here you can experiment to your heart's content with different types of tea and fruit juices: Different types of fruit tea as well as apple juice and cherry juice are delicious. Our recipe for apple punch is also delicious!