Mulled wine

Mulled wine, also known asspiced wine, is analcoholic drinkusually made withred wine, along with variousmulling spicesand sometimesraisins, served hot or warm.It is a traditional drink during winter, especially aroundChristmas.It is usually served atChristmas marketsinEurope, primarily inGermany, theCzech Republic,Austria,Switzerland,Slovenia,Croatia,Hungary,Romania,the Nordic countries, theBaltic countries,Great BritainandFrance. There arenon-alcoholicversions of it.
The first record ofwinebeing spiced and heated can be found inPlautus' playCurculio, written during the 2nd century BC.The Romans travelled acrossEurope, conquering much of it and trading with the rest. The legions brought wine andviticulturewith them up to theRhineandDanuberivers and to theScottishborder, along with their recipes.
The Forme of Cury,a medieval English cookery book from 1390, which mentioned mulled wine, says: "Pur faitYpocras..." grinding togethercinnamon,ginger,galangal,cloves,long pepper,nutmeg,marjoram,cardamom, andgrains of paradise("spykenard de Spayn",rosemarymay be substituted). This is mixed with red wine and sugar (form and quantity unstated).
Mulled wine is very popular and traditional in the United Kingdom at Christmas, and less commonly throughout winter. Mulled cider (and sometimes mulled ale,traditional yet no longer common) is also served, with a mulled apple juice as a non-alcoholic alternative.
Over the years the recipe for mulled wine has evolved with the tastes and fashions of the time. One Victorian example of this issmoking bishop, mentioned by Charles Dickens but no longer drunk or known in modern culture. A more traditional recipe can be found inMrs. Beeton's Book of Household Managementat paragraph 1961 on page 929 to 930 of the revised edition dated 1869:
In contemporaryBritish culture, there is no specific recipe for mulled wine and the spices involved in its recipe. It is commonly a combination of orange, lemon,cinnamon,nutmeg,fennelseed (orstar anise),cloves,cardamom, andginger.The spices may be combined and boiled in a sugar syrup beforered wineis added, heated, and served. Variations include addingbrandyorginger wine. A tea bag of spices can be added to the wine, which is heated along with slices of orange as a convenient alternative to a full recipe. Mulled wine is often served in small (200 ml) porcelain or glass mugs, sometimes with an orange slice garnish studded with cloves.
Mulled wine and ales infused with mulling spices are available in the UK in the winter months.Wassailpunch is a warm mulledbeerorciderdrunk in winter in Victorian times.
Glühwein(roughly translated as 'glowing-wine', from the temperature the wine is heated to) is popular in German-speaking countries, the Germany-borderingAlsaceregion of France, and to a lesser extent Russia. It is a traditional beverage offered during the Christmas holidays. In AlsaceChristmas markets, it is traditionally the only alcoholic beverage served. The oldest documentedGlühweintankardis attributed to Count John IV ofKatzenelnbogen, a German nobleman who was the first grower ofRieslinggrapes. This gold-plated lockable silver tankard is dated toc.1420.
Glühweinis usually prepared from red wine, heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks,cloves,star aniseed,orange,sugarand at times vanilla pods. It is sometimes drunkmit Schuss(with ashot), which means that rum or some other liquor has been added.Fruit wines, such as blueberry wine and cherry wine, are occasionally used instead of grape wine in some parts of Germany. A variation ofGlühweinis made with white wine, but it is less popular than its red counterpart. For children, the non-alcoholicKinderpunschis offered on Christmas markets, which is apunchwith similar spices.
Another popular variant ofGlühweinin Germany isFeuerzangenbowle. It shares the same recipe, but for this drink a rum-soakedsugarloafis set on fire and allowed to drip into the wine. Polish type ofGlühweinis calledGrzaniec. It is similar to the German one with one exception—it is usually sweetened with honey instead of sugar.
Glögg,gløgg,glögiand similar words are the terms used for mulled wine in theNordic countriesandEstonia(sometimes spelled asglogorglug). It is spelledgløggin Norwegian, Danish and Faroese,glöggin Swedish and Icelandic andglögiin Finnish and Estonian. In Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finlandgløggorglöggis often drunk at Christmas events.
Non-alcoholic and alcoholic versions ofglöggcan be bought ready-made or prepared with fruit juices instead of wine. The main ingredients of alcoholicglöggare redwine, sugar, spices such as cinnamon,cardamom,ginger, cloves, andbitter orange, and optionally also stronger spirits such asvodka,akvavit,rumorbrandy. Throughout Scandinavia,glöggspice extract and ready-mixed spices can be purchased in grocery stores. To prepareglögg, spices or spice extract are mixed into the wine, which is then heated to 60–70 °C. When preparing homemadeglöggusing spices, the hot mixture is allowed to infuse for at least an hour, often longer, and then reheated before serving. Ready-made wineglögg, as well as low- or non-alcoholic varieties,is normally sold atSystembolagetinSweden, and inAlkoinFinland, ready to heat and serve, and not in concentrate or extract form.Glöggis generally served withraisins, driedcloves,blanchedalmondsandginger biscuits(gingerbread cookies), and is a popular hot drink during the Christmas season.
In Sweden, ginger bread andlussebullar(also calledlussekatter), a type of sweet bun withsaffronand raisins, are typically served on December 13 to celebrateSaint Lucia's Day. It is also traditionally served at thejulbord, the Christmas version of the classic, Swedish buffetsmörgåsbord. InDenmark,gløggpairings typically includeæbleskiversprinkled withpowdered sugarand accompanied withstrawberrymarmalade. InNorway,gløggis paired with risengrynsgrøt (rice pudding). In such cases, the wordgraut-/grøtfestis more precise, taking the name from the rice pudding which is served as a course. Typically,gløggis drunk before eating the rice pudding, which is often served with cold, redcordial(saus).
Glöggrecipes vary widely; variations with white wine or sweet wine such as Port or Madeira, or spirits such as brandy, schnapps orwhiskyare also popular, either added directly or by soaking the raisins and spice in them before preparing the drink (often resulting in a notable increase in the alcohol contents).Glöggcan also be made without alcohol by replacing the wine with fruit or berry juices (oftenblackcurrant) or by boiling theglöggto evaporate the alcohol.Glöggis similar in taste to modernWassailormulled cider.
InCroatia,Slovenia,Bosnia and Herzegovina,MontenegroandSerbia,kuhano vinoorkuvano vino(кувано вино,lit.'cooked wine'), is made from red or white wine and various combinations of nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, aniseed sugar/honey or orange zest, often served with slices of orange or lemon. InNorth Macedonia, it is calledvareno vino(Macedonian:варено вино, 'boiled wine') orgreeno vino(Macedonian:греено вино, 'heated wine') and is usually served in late autumn or winter. It is made of red wine, usually from theTikvešregion, combined with cinnamon and sugar or honey. The wine, heated in combination withpepper, is used as afolk remedyfor cold and flu.
In the south and southeast ofBrazil, it is calledvinho quenteorquentão, from the same Portuguese drink.It is typically made with red wine, cinnamon sticks and cloves.Cachaçamay be added to increase the alcohol content. It is served as part of theFesta Junina, celebrated during winter in the month of June.
InBulgaria, it is calledgreyano vino(Bulgarian:греяно вино, 'heated wine'), and consists of red wine,honeyandpeppercorn. Sometimes apples or citrus fruits, such as lemon or oranges, can be added.
InChile, it is calledcandolain the south andvino navega'oin the north (navegado,lit.'sailor'; 'navigated' is considered ahypercorrection). Navega'o is a hot drink made from red wine, orange peels, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and sugar. Although being considered a southern Chile beverage, it is served throughout the country. Many people regard it as a winter drink. Saint John's Eve (Spanish tradition which replacedWetripantru, the Mapuche New Year's Day that coincides with the Winter Solstice in the southern hemisphere—Midsummer in the northern hemisphere) on the evening of 23 June would be, for example, a good time to drinknavega'o.
In theCzech Republic, mulled wine is calledsvařené víno('boiled wine'), colloquiallysvařák. InSlovakia, mulled wine is calledvarené víno('boiled wine'), and is usually served during the Christmas season.
InFrance,vin chaud('hot wine') typically consists of red wine mixed with honey, cinnamon, and orange. It must not be too sweet. Beverage noted in theAlpsfor winter sports. InGeneva,Switzerland,vin chaudis consumed during the festivities surroundingL'Escalade.
InHungary,forralt bor('boiled wine') is typically made from the country's popularEgri Bikavérand spiced with cinnamon, sugar and cloves. Sometimes Amaretto is added for extra taste.
InItaly, mulled wine is typical in the northern part of the country and is calledvin brülé(from the Frenchvin brûlé, 'burnt wine', though the expression is not used in France).
InLatvia, it is calledkarstvīns('hot wine'). When out of wine, it is prepared using grape (or currant) juice andRiga Black Balsam. InLithuania, it is calledglintveinasorkarštas vynas('hot wine').
InRomania,vin fiertis typically made with cinnamon, sugar and oranges. Red wine is the most common type but white wine is also used. InMoldovavin fiertis made from red wine with black pepper and honey.
In theNetherlandsandBelgium, the drink is known asbisschopswijn('bishop's wine').Bisschopswijnis drunk during theSinterklaasholidays.
InPoland,grzane wino('heated wine'), orgrzaniecin highlander dialect, is very similar to the Czech variant, especially in the southern regions. There is also a similar method for preparing mulled beer, orgrzane piwo, which is popular with Belgian beers because of the sweet flavor of that particular type of beer, which uses the same spices as mulled wine and is heated. Vodka-spiked mulled wine can be found in Polish Christmas markets, where mulled wine is used as a mixer.
InPortugal, mainly in theDouroandMinho Provinces, it is calledvinho quenteand made withMadeira wineandport wine, in the Porto region Porto Quente is more popular.
InRussiaandUkraine,glintveyn(глинтвейн) is a popular drink during wintersand has same recipe as the GermanGlühwein. Russiandusheparka(Russian:душепарка) is a historical analogue of mulled wine. Additionally, the traditional Russian winter herbal drinksbiten, although usually a non-alcoholictisanemade with hot water, may also be made with red wine replacing some or all of the water.
In the 1946 Christmas movieIt's a Wonderful Life, after the 293-year oldguardian angelClarence Odbody(traveling withGeorge Baileyto an alternate world if George had not been born) goes to a rough bar. And, not knowing what to order since he had not been to a bar in centuries, decides to order, "I was just thinking of a flaming rum punch. No, it's not cold enough for that. Not nearly cold enough…Wait a minute…wait a minute…Mulled wine, heavy on the cinnamon and light on the cloves. Off with you, me lad, and be lively!"
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