House Mulled Wine - Origin, Benefits And Recipes To Try

The end of the year celebrations are almost here and with them the traditions that make young and old alike dreamy: gingerbread cookies, popcorn balls, chocolate rolls, Christmas cheesecake, house mulled wine, etc. And as we are, do you know where the mulled wine comes from? Why is it called the iconic Christmas drink? What are its health benefits? Deavita.fr gives you everything on the subject + some recipes and tips to learn how to make house mulled wine!

Origins, benefits and recipes of homemade mulled wine to prepare for Christmas

And while Christmas 2020 will not be usual, there are traditions that we do not deviate from. This is the case with mulled wine! Ah, the most iconic drink of the holiday season! This is the first stand we go to at the Christmas market. However, this is not a tradition dating from yesterday. It brings us together, comforts us and makes us spend unforgettable moments with family or friends. It can be tasted while strolling through the Christmas market, on the terrace of a café or at home in front of the fireplace.

This year, however, the holidays are shaping up to be a little different. We will probably not be able to enjoy the magical Christmas atmosphere with its typical markets that smell of gingerbread and mulled wine. The necessary solution is therefore very simple. Prepare and enjoy them at home! With or without alcohol, made from red or white wine, the star drink for the end of the year celebrations is easy to prepare and goes with each activity and stage of the day during the festive period. And if we love it for its flavor and exquisite taste, we do not know anything about its origins and its benefits!

Mulled wine: origin and history

A true tradition which is to the point of making it almost an institution, mulled wine is fully associated with the winter period. However, there was nothing noble about drinking mulled wine back then. It was 2,000 years ago, within the Roman Empire, that we find the first traces of the existence of spiced wine. At the time it was called "Conditum Paradoxum" and featured a mixture of boiled red wine, honey, dates, nuts and spices, such as pepper, saffron, bay leaf, mastic and spikenard. This preparation was then mixed with good quality wine. The result ? A sweet and fragrant drink that the Romans consumed at the end of a meal as a digestif. Having said that, one can immediately conclude that the ancient drink was much different than today.

The mulled wine spice blend made it possible to keep the drink longer and to avoid the oxidized taste of the wine. With the expansion of the Roman Empire across Europe, the choice of spices began to evolve and approach the sweeter one that we knew in the Middle Ages. This drink became very popular, especially in France and Spain where it was called "spiced wine". It was with the arrival of cloves (the main spice in the current recipe), from the East, that it began to resemble the drink we know today.

In addition to France and Spain, this beverage has also been democratized in England, Germany and in Nordic countries such as Sweden. What's more, the English King Henry III was fond of it and drank a lot of it. The mulled wine recipes are even found in the works of Arnaud de Villeneuve, theologian and doctor of the time.

It was at the beginning of the 20th century that the spicy drink became THE Christmas drink par excellence thanks to the festive markets very popular at that time in Germany. The idea of enjoying a warm and comforting drink outside to warm up in the middle of winter has won over many merchants. The latter quickly began to offer it for sale. Each merchant offered his own recipe in a unique glass in order to stand out. The result ? This form of “competition” between merchants only increased the interest of visitors.

Mulled wine and its health benefits

As the temperatures outside start to plummet, do you start looking for an effective way to warm up? During the holiday season, hot chocolate and spiced wine are arguably the most obvious solutions available to you. Besides the comfort that mulled wine gives, a good number of its ingredients are beneficial for health! This largely explains why the Romans tasted it as a digestif.

In addition to the virtues that regular and moderate consumption of red wine offers, that of mulled wine is accompanied by some additional benefits derived from spices. Thus, cinnamon has positive effects on intestinal transit and on chronic fatigue. It is also a natural solution against diabetes by reducing the level of sugar and fat in the blood.

Cloves, on the other hand, are known for their antibacterial properties. It fights very well against the inflamed throat. Finally, ginger helps fight rum and flu symptoms, nutmeg helps relieve constipation, and honey helps energize the body. In short, house spiced wine is all you need to have a great holiday season!

House spiced wine - the traditional recipe

Now, without further ado, find the traditional recipe for the iconic mulled wine that we all love to enjoy on the ski slopes, at fairs and at Christmas markets. Extremely simple and quick to reproduce at home, house mulled wine requires only a few basic ingredients and spices that are usually found in every kitchen.

Ingredients for 6 glasses:

• 1 l of good quality red wine
• 1 organic orange
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 organic lemon
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 1-2 cloves
• nutmeg

Preparation:

First wash and dry the citrus fruits, then cut them into slices and put them in a saucepan. Add the red wine, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, star anise and nutmeg and bring everything to a simmer. Remove from the heat and let steep for a few minutes. Enjoy hot and accompanied by Christmas cupcakes and cookies!

House mulled white wine

Ingredients for 6 glasses:

• 1 liter of white wine
• 1 organic lemon
• 1 organic orange
• 150 ml of
• 80 g caster sugar
• cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 1 pinch of nutmeg

Preparation:

Wash, peel and slice the citrus fruits. Pour the white wine and water into a saucepan. Add the fruits and spices to it, then simmer for 10-15 minutes. Above all, do not boil. Put the sugar and simmer for 5 minutes. Distribute the mulled wine in thick glasses (grog type) and enjoy.

Mulled wine without alcohol

A house mulled wine without alcohol? You do not believe in it ? And yet it is quite achievable. For the little ones (as for the big ones besides), it is quite possible to swap the red / white wine for a fruit juice. Orange juice in particular can be spiced in the same way as wine. Ditto for grape juice!

Ingredients for 12 glasses:

• 1 l red grape juice / orange juice / apple juice
• 300 ml of water
• 1 star anise
• 2 cloves
• 1 pinch of ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 pinch of ginger
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• organic lemon zest

Preparation:

To succeed with the alcohol-free recipe, it is better to start the day before. So, put all the ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and let the drink steep overnight. In the morning, filter and heat the wine before serving it. Why don't we add sugar? Grape juice replaces the latter and must be diluted with water.