When choosing a wine for mulling-go for something medium-full bodied with a strong fruity base. Not only will the spices overpower the wine’s carefully developed flavour profile, but the heating process may cause all those beautiful notes to completely evaporate! Save those special bottles in your cellar to be enjoyed unadulterated. Likewise, there’s no use cracking open an aged wine with lots of delicate, subtle aromas.
There’s no need to splurge when it comes to purchasing a wine for mulling-in fact, a modestly priced wine is all that’s needed. We recommend staying away from lighter reds like Pinot Noir as they don’t have sufficient body to balance the sugar and spice that will later be infused. While almost any red wine will work-there are some wines that are more suitable than others.
Widely consumed throughout winter in the Northern hemisphere-particularly around Christmas time- this warming, comforting wine cocktail is the perfect antidote to the winter blues.Īround this time of year, cellar door patrons often ask which varieties are best suited to making mulled wine. Its origins can be traced back to Europe as early as the 2nd century BC. Mulled wine (sometimes referred to as glühwein) is heated red wine that has been spiced and sweetened. But on nights when we really want to up the cosiness factor, there’s only one thing for it-mulled wine. These wines also have a high alcohol content, which is important if you want your wine to retain a bit of structure after it’s been heated and had some of its alcohol burned off.With temperatures dipping down into the single digits most nights, we've found it hard to go more than an hour or so without a warm mug of tea between our hands. Not only do these have all the attributes you need for making good quality mulled wine – bold, juicy and structured without the tannins being too harsh, with a good balance of fruit flavours and spice – they’re also relatively inexpensive without sacrificing on quality. Our advice? Try an Australian Shiraz (a French Syrah will be too tannic), an Argentinian Malbec, or a fruity Italian varietal such as Nero d’Avola or Primitivo. It’s also important not to use anything too tannic, as mulling wine tends to further concentrate tannins, which could lead to a slightly unpleasant sensation! So stick to bolder, fruitier reds that can handle the heat for this traditional holiday drink. The process of mulling can mean that a lighter style of red wine with more delicate flavours, such as Pinot Noir, will be pretty much undetectable in the end result. There are certain factors that are worth considering if you want your mulled wine to have an explosion of fruit flavours as well as spice. The Nerdy BitĬhoosing the right bottle for this isn’t as simple as picking any dry red.
Add in your more subtle spices (basically, everything but the star anise) and just enough red wine to submerge the ingredients, and simmer.Add the honey / sugar to a large saucepan on a medium heat, squeeze in some fresh clementine juice, and throw in your chunks of clementine, lemon and apple.For the sweetness, a big dollop of honey or some heaped tablespoons of caster sugar will strike the right balance. A few slices of clementine and lemon and a dash of freshly squeezed orange juice will add some much needed zest, while some chunks of apple will complement the clove and cinnamon nicely. To balance out those pungent spices, you’ll need to add in extra fruity flavours and up the sweetness. Although for added complexity, we’d suggest a handful of peppercorns, coriander seeds and cardamom pods too. That’s mulled wine in a nutshell, and what you’re aiming to achieve with your combination of ingredients.įor the quintessential mulled wine, there are certain spices that are absolutely essential, and these are cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, nutmeg and vanilla.
Wine for mulled wine full#
Warm, sweet, fruity and full of citrus and spice.
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