Mulled Red Wine

Baking and Simmering

The weather outside is frightful. Dreadful, really. Right now it's about 4 degrees, and despite the beautiful blanket of snow on the ground, I'm especially grateful to be indoors. And baking. The two week countdown to Christmas is on, so it's time to pull out the cookie recipes of Christmases past and get to work measuring, mixing, and rolling.

First, though, I'll need to do a bit of simmering--mulled wine, that is.

Red Wine Info Bottle    Georges Debœuf Grape    Rhône blend Year       2004 Region  France Price     ~$9.00 Shop     Snooth Food Pairing  roast chicken, hamburgers, grilled vegetables, cookie dough

Mulled Wine Recipe (adapted from Gourmet Magazine) 2 bottles of dry red wine (like a Côtes du Rhône) 8 whole cloves 4 whole black peppercorns 4 strips lemon zest 4 strips orange zest 1/4 cup brandy 1 1/2 cups water 1/4 to 3/4 cup sugar (adjust to taste) 1 cinnamon stick Tie spices and zest in a bag of cheesecloth (or fish them out of the wine later, like I did). Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Long ago, mixing wine with spices and sweeteners was a way to disguise the taste of spoiled wine. Today, it's simply a great way to warm the house--and the belly--during the holidays. But don't bother spending a lot of money on a great bottle of red wine. (The Côtes du Rhône I used was under $10.) After you create your concoction, you won't be able to tell the difference.

Mmmm. Mulled wine and raw cookie dough—now there's a pairing that's sure to bring some holiday cheers.

Diane Timba is a contributing writer at Thursday Happy Hour. Check out her lifestyle wine column here on Wednesdays. What's your favorite holiday wine? Let Diane know in the comments below. Or chat with her on Facebook.

Comments

[Shelly]

This is a great mulled wine recipe -- we tried it Wed night. Not too sweet. Hope the weather warms up for you in the next couple weeks!