What better way to get you through winter than a steaming cup of spicy mulled wine!
But not all mulled wine is equal. If you have had a cup at a Christmas market you will know that it is not always made with care and attention it needs. For a drink that has been enjoyed down the ages, you need the right ingredients to make a truly great cup. And everyone has their own version, so you can tweak the recipe to make it your own.
Mulled wine around the world The Romans are known to have enjoyed a cup of mulled goodness. There is even a Medieval recipe for it dating back to 1390. Today the drink is enjoyed around the world; in Germany as glühwein (glowing wine), in Bosnia and Herzegovina/Croatia as kuhano vino (cooked wine), in Brazil as vinho quente (warm wine) and throughout Scandinavia as glögg. There is even a non-alcoholic version in Sweden that uses fruit juice instead of wine, which is something we can relate to :)
Make the perfect cup of alcohol-free mulled wine So what is the secret to a great (alcohol-free) mulled wine? A bottle or two of our Shiraz for a start. If you are time poor there are mulled wine spice sachets which can get you a perfectly decent pot. But if you want a little more complexity put the ingredients together yourself. The ‘traditional’
- Decant a bottle of Edenvale Shiraz into a large saucepan with 250ml water.
- Add 3 tbsp honey, a clove, 1 sliced orange, 1 sliced lemon, 1 tsp ginger, 1 cinnamon stick.
- Allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Divide among heat-resistant serving glasses and serve immediately.
The ‘quickie’
- Decant a bottle of Edenvale Shiraz into a large saucepan.
- Add 200ml fresh orange juice, rind from orange, 3 tbsp honey and a mulled wine sachet.
- Simmer for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat.
- Divide among heat-resistant serving glasses and serve immediately.
The taste and aroma of real wine The good news is that if you miss the taste and aroma of wine, say with a meal, Edenvale alcohol removed wine tastes great, has far fewer calories than regular wine, and is rich in antioxidants. It is the best of both worlds really. Find a local Edenvale stockist near where you live or browse our full product range.