The Best Mulled Wine Recipe | Ambitious Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What's the best wine to use for mulled wine? ›

The best red wine to use for mulled wine is Merlot, Zinfandel or Garnacha (also called Grenache). These wines are dark, fruity and full bodied, which means they can support all of the flavors we'll be adding. Look for labels that describe the wine as “jammy” or with “notes of vanilla.”

(Edit: To minimize bitterness, I recommend peeling the orange before simmering it in the wine.) Cinnamon: I love the making mulled wine with cinnamon sticks, but you could whisk in some ground cinnamon if that's what you have on hand.

The heat used in mulling encourages greater flavours from the citrus and the spices but also reduces the alcohol content, hence the common addition of a slug of spirit or liqueur just before serving.

Modern day mulled wine is typically sweeter than its 'spiced wine' predecessors, as it tends to use more fruit juice to help tune out the overwhelming acidity and spice.

Mulling Spices

Each recommended using about a tablespoon of mulling spice per 750 ml bottle of wine, which I toasted briefly in a skillet before adding to the wine.

You need to infuse the wine long enough with the spices to take on their flavour but DON'T ON ANY ACCOUNT LET THE MIXTURE BOIL as you'll be left with a bitter taste. Slow and low is the way to go. And it shouldn't be served piping hot, just comfortably - and comfortingly - warm.

Either some carbon dioxide was trapped inside when the wine was bottled, or the wine started to re-ferment while in the bottle, and the bubbles are a byproduct. A little fizz won't make you sick, but I find it unpleasant, and it usually comes with a yeasty stink.

Does the alcohol cook out when making mulled wine? In short, yes, some of the alcohol burns off when boiling mulled wine, but you should only be gently bringing up to the boil and simmering for around 15-30 minutes which isn't enough time to completely remove all alcohol traces.

How long should you heat mulled wine? ›

Method. Put the red wine, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, lemon zest and sugar in a large pan. Cook on a low heat for 10 mins. Remove from the heat and cool, leaving to infuse for about 30 mins.

Serve them in little glass cups with handles, add a bit of orange peel and nobody will know that you didn't make it yourself. And finally, whether you're buying it in or making it yourself, a glug of port, sloe gin or even rum before serving will lift the whole thing.

Hailed as the world's most expensive, it costs £10 more than last year's bankrupter - the £50 Mayfair Mulled Wine from Hush in west London. The so-called Cinnamoney Spiced Wine's unique ingredients include a premium Bordeaux, a fine Champagne, a Normandie 'cidre' and a dessert wine.

Aldi Mulled Wine

' This looked traditional, with a nice label. However, upon opening, I didn't like the smell of it very much. It smelt of oranges and cheap wine. Once warmed, I found the flavour was pleasant enough but too orangey.

The best red wines for mulled wines taste bright and fresh, such as Grenache, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, fruit-forward Pinot Noir. Inexpensive Bordeaux is another great choice for mulled wine; in fact, claret was a traditional choice for British mulled wine in William Shakespeare's day.

Red wines are traditionally used to make mulled wine, and while any red wine can work, sweet reds will give you a nice, sweet base, meaning less sugar added in later. If you use a dry red, keep in mind you may need to add more sugar than a recipe calls for.

As wine forms the base for the mulled wine, you do want to be careful with your selection. A bottle of Levant Shiraz makes the perfect base - we don't recommend Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir. Cabernet Sauvignon is too high in tannin, and Pinot Noir is too light to carry the spices.

I like dry white wines, fruity and not too sweet. And I like to reach for local, Slovenian wines as we do have a lot of producers here. I usually go with a Pinot Grigio or a Chardonnay.

Generally speaking, you won't go wrong using a relatively dry, but fruity (or “fruit-forward”) wine for mulling. And, if the recipe you choose calls for a dose of brandy or other liquor, you'll probably want to choose a wine that's low in alcohol (unless, of course, you have a specific goal in mind).