Mulled White Wine

This is a simple, quick and delicious mulled white wine recipe. It’s spiced warmth is perfect for cold winter nights and holiday parties!

Is it cold outside again? It must be time for a mug of hot cocoa then, or maybe something stronger like mulled wine. Mulled white wine is the perfect drink to warm you up on these chilly nights and keep you company as you sip your way through the holiday season.

This mulled white wine recipe is the perfect holiday drink to serve at your next gathering. Not only does it look festive, but it also tastes great! The best part is that you can play around with different spices to suit your taste buds. I like adding a little extra cinnamon and nutmeg for an added kick!

There’s nothing like a glass of mulled wine to make you feel festive! This is the perfect drink for winter parties and get-togethers. It’s simple to make, and it looks beautiful in your favorite holiday mug. I’m excited to share my recipe with you today!

Cheers!

What is Mulled Wine?

Mulled wine, also known as glühwein in Germany, vino caliente in Spain, glögg in Scandinavia, and vin chaud in France, is a beverage consisting of wine heated with spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom. Exactly what is added to the mulled wine varies from country to country and region to region.

It’s known by hundred of different names throughout Europe, but essentially Mulled wine is a spiced wine beverage that is commonly served during the winter season. Mulled wine has been consumed for centuries throughout Europe.

Mulling spices typically include cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg, but all manner of other spices can be used; vanilla, orange peel, star anise, coriander and more.

Mulled wine can be made with many different types of wines; however, the traditional beverage is made with red wine. Here we are making it with white wine which I think works nicely with the more citrusy flavour profile of the recipe.

Why You will Love this Mulled White Wine Recipe

• Warm, comforting beverage for the winter months
• Lightly spiced
• Fresh citrus flavour.
• Can be made quickly
• Stores well and can be made ahead.
• Perfect for holiday parties
• So festive!

What Wine is Best for Mulled White Wine?

The best wine for mulled white wine is something dry and full bodied. Dry wine will stand up to the other flavours and ensure the spiced wine won’t become too sweet from the honey and fruit.

You can also go with a cheaper wine because of the added flavours. So go ahead and grab that reasonably budget-friendly bottle.

You will see bottled spiced wines as well, but don’t fall into that trap. They tend to be too sweet and artificially spiced. Homemade mulled wine is easy to make and incredibly delicious.

What Type of Apple is Best for Mulled Wine?

You can use any type of apple that you like.

For a sweeter flavour, try Gala, Fuji, Cortland, Golden Delicious, or Red Delicious varieties.

For a slightly more acidic, tart flavour, go with Pink Lady, Braeburn, Jonathan, or McIntosh.

How to Make the Best Mulled Wine

• Choose your wine carefully as it is the base for this beverage.
• Heat gently. You don’t want to evaporate the alcohol.
• Go easy on the spices. It might look like we aren’t adding a lot of spice, but it’s enough.
• Use whole spices, never ground.

What to Serve with Mulled Wine

Mulled wine recipe pairs very well with Cheese, nuts, dried fruits and other flavorsome accents. Mulled wine will also go great with the chicken dishes. The Mulling spices are similar to many herbs used in cooking so there’s no limit on what you can pair with this Mulled Wine Recipe.

Try serving it alongside these festive appetizers:

• Baked Brie with Cranberries and Walnuts
• Mediterranean Mezze Platter

or with simple desserts like:

• Chocolate Walnut Brownies
• Black Cherry Crisp

How to Make-ahead and Store Mulled Wine

If you want to get ahead of things for the holidays, you can make the mulled white wine ahead of time and chill until you need it.

Let your mulled wine cool completely, and strain out the spices and citrus. Then pour it into an airtight storage container and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It is important to remove the spices and citrus when storing as leaving them in can turn the flavour too bitter.

Gently rewarm mulled wine in a large pot on the stovetop over low heat, or in your slow cooker and reheat on low until steaming.

Recommended Tools for Making Mulled Wine

Slow Cooker – You can also make this as a slow cooker mulled wine. Using a slow cooker keeps the stove top free and keeps the spice wine warm. Simply combine all of the ingredients in your crockpot, and heat on low heat until the wine is steaming hot, about 30 minutes. Set it to warm for serving. A programmable slow cooker is perfect for this job.

Dutch Oven – Dutch ovens are great because they retain heat well and don’t react to the acidity like stainless steel does. My 3.5 quart Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven is large enough to make a few batches at a time for large holiday parties.

Ladle – For Serving.

About the Ingredients for Mulled White Wine

Apple – You can use any type of apple you like.

Orange – Just plain old navel oranges here.

Lemon – You can substitute with more orange if you like instead of using lemon.

Spices – We spice the wine with a combination of whole cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom and star anise. Do not use the ground versions as they will float and become unpleasant.

Wine – Any dry white wine will work fine. It doesn’t need to be particularly good quality as mulling it changes the flavour.

Rum – I would avoid spiced rums as we want to control the flavour using fresh spices. Stick with a nice dark rum instead. Brandy is also good here.

Sweetener – Sweeten with a little honey or pure maple syrup.

Looking for More Holiday Cocktail Recipes?

Check out some of my favourite holiday cocktails!

A bright splash of cranberry transforms the classic cocktail into a new holiday favourite with this Cranberry Moscow Mule.

Spiced Cranberry Spritzer is a festive drink with cranberry, orange, and cinnamon. Add vodka for an adults-only treat, or omit for a mocktail.

This Green & Red Cider Cocktail with Cran-Apple Ice Cubes is a fun and flavourful cocktail perfect for holiday entertaining. Change things up from the usual with this tasty beverage!

How to Make Mulled White Wine

Yields: 4 Servings | Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 apple, sliced into rounds
1 orange, sliced into rounds
1 lemon, sliced into rounds
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
3 cardamom pods
2 star anise
1 750 ml. bottle dry white wine such as an oaked chardonnay
¼ c rum
¼ . honey or maple syrup, preferably local
1 orange, juiced

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium, non-reactive pot.

Place on medium-low heat and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer – be mindful of the heat as you don’t want to cook out the alcohol. Simmer the wine mixture for at least 15 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Serve into glasses and garnish with more fruit and spices. Enjoy!