How to Make Warm Wine

Wine can be served warmed, sweetened and spiced for a cold winter's treat.

Mulled wine is a traditional European holiday drink. Called Glühwein in German, mulled wine is served warm and flavored with sugar, citrus and spices. Optionally, a hard liquor can be added at the end to increase the alcoholic content of the mixture (do not add hard liquor to the cooking wine as it will evaporate quickly). Warm, mulled wine is the perfect drink for a cold winter's day.

Things You'll Need

• 2 750ml bottles dry, red wine
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 oranges
• 1 lime
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Cardamom, bay leaves, star anise, fennel, nutmeg, vanilla (optional)
• Sauce pan, 2 quarts or larger
• Mugs

Instructions

1. Peel oranges and lime and place the peels in a large sauce pan. Add cloves, cinnamon stick and sugar. Squeeze the oranges' juice into the pan.

2. Pour in enough wine to cover the bottom of the pan. Place pan over medium-high heat.

3. Boil the mixture for about five minutes until it forms a thick syrup. Reduce the heat to low.

4. Add the remainder of the wine and mix the syrup completely into the wine. Heat this mixture to about 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not allow it to boil.

5. Ladle the mulled wine, without spices and peels, into mugs to serve.

Tips & Warnings

• Add more sugar or different spices to suit your taste.

• Garnish the mugs with candied orange wedges.

References

• Just Hungry: Recipe: Gluhvein
• Jamie Oliver: Mulled Wine
• Yo Brew: Mulled Wine