Tastes like Christmas!
When the days slowly get shorter again and colorful lights hang in all the streets, it’s that time again: Christmas is just around the corner. For many people at this time, mulled wine is also a part of it. Whether at home, with friends or at the Christmas market – the hot alcoholic drink is popular in December for every occasion. In this post we would like to tell you everything you need to know about wintry wine and give you tips on how to best enjoy a spiced wine!
The basis: the wine
Glühwein mit Gewürzen und Weihnachtsdekoration
Red wines
The best known are red mulled wines. The varieties Dornfelder, Merlot or Pinot Noir are particularly suitable for this. These varieties harmonize particularly well with the spices. In general, any red wine can be the basis for a wine with spices.
White wines
There are now more and more white alcoholic drinks on the Christmas market. The basis for this are the white wines Riesling, Müller-Thurgau and Chardonnay.
Important: the quality of the wine
When buying ready-made mulled wine, you should pay particular attention to the quality. Because there are few laws about wine for manufacturers. The only requirements are that the alcohol content must be noted on the label and that neither alcohol nor water be added. In addition, red or white wine must be the basis. However, there is often a lack of quality here. Manufacturers of cheap Christmas wines use wines that would otherwise not be sold – because sugar and spices can otherwise simply mask unpleasant smells and tastes. So be careful when buying cheap ready-made spiced wines.
Winzerglühwein
You are on the safe side when you drink excellent mulled wine from the winemaker himself. This is because only wine that has been produced in-house may be used for this. In addition, the indication of deutscher Glühwein guarantees that only local base wines were used. So if you really want to drink good mulled wine, trust your favorite winemaker. The slightly higher price is often very worthwhile.
Which spices are in the wine?
Most traditional mulled wines are based on red wine. The spices cinnamon, sugar, cloves, anise and a little lemon or orange are added to the wine. Then the whole thing is heated and the hot drink is ready. Even nowadays there is more and more white mulled wine. In addition to the same spices, a little apple juice is often added to the white wine.
Make mulled wine yourself
To prepare a warm winter wine for yourself you need:
Gewürze für Glühwein
- 1 liter of your favorite red wine
- 2-3 sticks of cinnamon
- 1 orange
- 1 lemon
- 5-6 cloves
- 4 tbsp sugar
- Some anise
Simply add all the spices and the sliced orange and / or lemon to the wine as you like and heat the mixture in a top over medium heat. The important thing is that you don’t let it boil!
Caution at the Christmas market!
… because too much mulled wine can have unpleasant consequences. Several factors are to blame:
- The warmth: Of course, when it’s already cold outside, a hot drink is particularly pleasant. However, the warmth of the drink stimulates the blood circulation in the mouth and throat, but later also in the stomach. This means that the alcohol it contains is more easily absorbed.
- Alcohol: Alcohol causes the blood vessels to widen, which can quickly become fatal, especially in cold temperatures. At first, a cozy warmth seems to spread in the body, but then it disappears again after a while. The widened blood vessels allow the body to cool down more quickly
- Sugar: Sugar is often added to wintry wine, which further intensifies the effects described.
Try christmassy wines!
At the end of the article we have another recommendation for you: Try the dry Origine IGP from Domaine Saint Antoine in France as a wintry wine!
Furthermore exciting virtual wine tastings and wine tastings directly at the winemaker await you here at Wine-love.de, which we also offer as private events according to your taste. From time to time we also organize pop-up wine tastings with nice company in the wine shop in Schlangenbad. You are always best informed about all events on our channels on Facebook and Instagram.
