Delicious Mulled White Wine
Just 7 Ingredients
When the weather is cold, nothing hits the spot better than a glass of delicious mulled white wine. Not to mention it’s also the perfect festive drink for your Christmas or New Year’s celebrations.
My Mulled Wine Disaster
I remember my first try at making my own mulled wine. Vividly—and my cheeks still burn with embarrassment just thinking of that failure.
Nothing should be easier than just emptying a bottle of wine in a saucepan, adding some spices and letting it simmer for a while. What could possibly go wrong?
A lot, actually. But here’s the good news: you can learn from my mistakes so you won’t have to waste your spoons on trial and error. Just use my recipe and you’ll be fine.
What Goes Into This Festive Drink
The secret to making the perfect Glühwein starts with choosing the right wine. You’ll want a bright, fruity white wine like a Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, or Pinot Grigio.
But just using the right wine is only a start. Because just as important as using suitable wine, is knowing which spices to use, and in what quantities. Just adding some spices willy-nilly and hoping for the best is a recipe for disaster.
You need to add the right spices—and you’ll be surprised at how little you actually need. Too much will overpower the wine and ruin the taste.
You’ll also want to add lemon or orange (I suggest lemon for white wine and orange for red) for a refreshing, citrusy note, and a sweetener (sugar, maple syrup, or honey) for balance, and some vodka or rum for extra warmth.
Aside from that, you need to be careful not to overheat your wine, as that will not only make all the alcohol evaporate, but worse than that: it will turn the wine sour. That’s why I now always make my mulled wine in the slow cooker. No risk of overheating there.
Delicious Variations
- For a classic red variation, use a medium- to full-bodied red wine, like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Chianti, and spices like cloves, star anise, allspice, and cinnamon.
- Feeling adventurous? Use Licor 43 instead of vodka—and don’t hesitate to use a generous amount of it.
- For Italian vibes, Amaretto would make a great substitute for the vodka.
Alcohol-free Glühwein Variations
If you prefer an alcohol-free Glühwein, you can use white grape-juice or apple-juice instead of white wine, or red grape-juice instead of red wine, and simply omit the vodka or rum. All other ingredients would remain the same.
Serving Your Mulled White Wine in Style
While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with just serving your Glühwein in a mug—along with some chocolate chip cookies—if you want to go festive, you’ll want something a little more special: a nice wine glass would work just fine. And then perhaps garnish with a slice of lemon to make it look even more delicious and inviting.
Spoonie Notes
- Using frozen lemon slices makes prep almost non-existent
- Be careful with alcohol if you’re using medications that might interact with it.
Storage
Made more than you can drink in one afternoon or evening?
Just strain the wine and pour it back into its bottle. I use a funnel and strainer I bought at Ikea several years ago, and while they don’t sell the exact same one any more, their Korken strainer/funnel seems like the perfect tool for the job.
It should keep for at least a day or five, even outside the fridge, but just to be save, I always store mine in the fridge. Better safe than sorry.
Allergy Information
- Free from: dairy, gluten, eggs, nuts, soy, sesame
- Always check labels for allergens
- Be aware that some alcoholic beverages can contain gluten
Step-by-Step Mulled White Wine Recipe
Delicious Mulled White Wine
Equipment
- 1 Slow Cooker
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 1 litre sweet white wine
- 2 lemon slices
- ½ cm fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp vodka or white rum
- ¼ cup white sugar, honey, or maple syrup
- 2 pods star anise
- 2 pods cardamom
Instructions
- Pour 1 litre sweet white wine into slow cooker insert.
- Add 2 tbsp vodka or white rum, ¼ cup white sugar, honey, or maple syrup, ½ cm fresh ginger, 2 pods star anise, 2 pods cardamom, and 2 lemon slices.
- Simmer on low for at least one hour. (Longer won’t hurt a bit.)
Notes
This post is part of the mini series The Gentle Art of Winter Cooking, a celebration of spoonie-friendly, easy, and nourishing dishes that provide warmth and comfort on cold days.
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