The BEST Mulled Wine Recipe - easy mulled wine recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best wine to use to make 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.”

Ainsley Harriott recommends mulling wines in a slow cooker and says two hours at low temperature gives excellent results and should retain most alcohol content.

Sugar or honey.

Not all recipes call for it, but often you will need it to balance out bitterness and/or alcohol. My expert advice: do not add any sugar or honey until the very, very end. You want to add it to taste because depending on the random wine you're using and the spirit, you may not need much of it, if any.

Heat until the wine almost reaches a simmer over medium-high heat. (Avoid letting it bubble in any way. Alcohol begins to vaporize at 172°F, so take care to ensure that the wine does not evaporate.) Reduce heat to low, cover completely, and let the wine simmer for at least 15 minutes or up to 3 hours.

Just like with the best wines for sangria, the wines you choose for mulled wine don't need to be fancy (you'll be adding other ingredients to it anyway so there's no need to break the bank on an expensive bottle).

More expensive wines are sometimes more delicate, so heating them up changes the taste anyway. The best wine to use for mulled wine is something flavorful that won't break the bank. Look for bottles that are between $10-20.

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.

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.

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.

TO STORE: Let your mulled wine cool completely, then pour it into an airtight storage container and place it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm mulled wine in a large pot on the stovetop over low heat, or pour leftovers into your slow cooker and reheat on LOW until warm.

What is a good substitute for brandy in mulled wine? ›

Similar like Sangria, it's also traditional to spike your mulled wine with an extra bit of liquor. Brandy is the traditional choice but you can substitute it with rum or bourbon or even equal quantity of apple juice.

Caraway Seeds and Tarragon

The combination of these two ingredients creates a taste similar to star anise. An equal mix of a teaspoon of caraway seeds and dried tarragon can replace star anise in a recipe. Caraway seeds can become bitter the longer they are cooked so they should be added in toward the end of cooking.

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.

The wine bursts with flavors of strawberry jam and toasted rosemary that harmonize into a long finish. These delightfully layered notes make the Carneros Pinot Noir the perfect choice for mulled wine.

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).

When you make mulled wine, the spices soften the acidity of the wine, and the result is a smooth, well-flavoured drink. You can use old wine to make this drink, and it will save you having to pop the cork on a new bottle.