Mulled wine: what it is, what it is drunk with and in what glasses it is served

The mere word "mulled wine" makes your body feel warm and invigorated, and the tart flavor of spicy wine is felt on your lips. This flavorful drink has not only a fairly solid history, but also a culture of consumption formed over the centuries. All of this, combined with the intricacies of cooking hot wine and its healing properties, can be a suitable topic for a table conversation.

History of mulled wine drink

German glühender Wein (glühwein), mulled wine, which turned into mulled wine in the Western and Eastern Slavs, is a hot drink made from red or white wine with the addition of spices, sugar, honey, fruits, berries and fruit and berry juices.

Its prototype is considered to be the ancient Roman hippocras: a drink consisting of room temperature wine mixed with various spices. The conquerors of the empire spread the recipes of spicy wine throughout central and western Europe.

However, it took almost one and a half thousand years before the principle of making hippocras was refracted in the Germanic and Celtic tradition of heating ritual drinks, which were an integral part of the holidays of the ancient agricultural calendar that fell on the cold season.

The first mention of mulled wine dates back to 1420. It is associated with the German county of Katzenelnbogen, located in the middle reaches of the Rhine. It was from Germany that the idea of mulled wine migrated to the even colder countries of the Scandinavian Peninsula, where the drink became widespread under the name glögg.

At the same time, it would be wrong to say that Germany is the birthplace of mulled wine. It seems that not only Germans came up with the idea of heating wine. Hence the different names of the drink, which are used in different regions of Europe.

For example, in French-speaking countries it is called vin chau, and in the British Isles the English name mulled wine has taken root.

Do-it-yourself mulled wine set

A century and a half ago, only very wealthy Europeans could afford to make a full-fledged drink flavored with expensive overseas spices and subtropical fruits. That is why mulled wine is often made with more affordable herbs such as galangal, which has a lemon scent, or fragrant rosemary. Today, literally everything that is included in various variations of the drink is absolutely available to any of us on supermarket shelves or pharmacy counters.

Hot wine drinking culture: questions and answers

We offer you a few notes that will make gatherings with warmed wine even more enjoyable.

1. What do mulled wine glasses look like?

   Classic tableware A glass for drinking hot alcoholic beverages is a kind of a mixture of a glass and a mug. It is a massive, rather tall, elongated glass container with a handle that stands on a low leg.

   

2. What to drink mulled wine with

   In principle, the drink we are interested in is a self-sufficient phenomenon. Thus, an appetizer for mulled wine is not necessary at all. However, this does not mean that it is categorically excluded. In particular, thin spicy crackers, crispy cookies, famous Viennese strudels or fruit-filled pies will be a win-win option for you in this case. And, of course, fruits extracted from mulled wine itself (oranges, apples, pears, plums, etc.).д.). If the drink is made on the basis of dry red or white wine, you can offer meat or fish dishes, respectively (in the case of white wine, a cheese plate or classic fondue will also look good).

   At the same time, gourmets recommend choosing spices for the drink based on the intended appetizer. For example, in their opinion, ham and meat pates are in perfect harmony with cardamom, pork - with nutmeg, and poultry dishes - with cloves.

3. Calorie content of mulled wine

   Since hot wine drinks can vary greatly not only in their strength, but also in their sweetness, the calorie range is quite wide. For example, a textbook drink made on the basis of red dry wine contains 136 ccal per 100 g, which is 41 ccal more than the caloric content of borscht, but almost 50 ccal less than the energy value of lean meat products. In turn, 100 g of mulled wine, made from semi-sweet wine, and even with the addition of cognac brandy, can pull all 260 calories.

4. How many degrees in mulled wine

   It is not possible to get an unambiguous answer to this question. In addition to the fact that the drink can contain any wine: from dry white to fortified red, it can contain juices and water, on the one hand, which reduce the strength, and on the other - such serious alcohol heavyweights as brandy, whiskey, rum or gin... Thus, the average strength of a drink can vary between 10 and 20 degrees, and this is far from the limit.

Benefits and harms of mulled wine

No matter what medical pedants say, warmed wine in moderation (1-2 glasses per evening and, of course, not every day), and with spices, can bring tangible benefits to our body.

First of all, mulled wine can be very useful in case of a cold. Since spicy hot wine promotes vasodilation, its moderate consumption allows you to accelerate blood circulation, and therefore - to warm up quickly and efficiently in case of hypothermia. In addition, the beneficial substances contained in the drink kill pathogenic bacteria and help restore the normal functioning of the respiratory tract affected by the common cold. However, it should be remembered that drinks containing alcohol (including mulled wine) are contraindicated at temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius. Otherwise, we risk further fever and weakening of the immune system.

Also, spicy drinks made on the basis of heated wine can, depending on the situation, have a strengthening and calming effect, as well as help normalize the gastrointestinal tract.

Finally, the spices contained in mulled wine have healing properties in themselves. In particular, cinnamon and ginger help to lower cholesterol, cloves have an antiseptic effect, and cardamom improves body tone.

At the same time, it is strongly recommended to avoid mulled wine for the following people, those who suffer from high acidity and reduced cardiovascular permeability. Also, drinks of this type, however, like any other alcohol, should never be combined with pregnancy. In the case of spicy wine, the expectant mother is at an additional risk of an allergic reaction to the preservatives contained in the grape drink, as well as to the spices added to it.

And, of course, mulled wine is out of the question for alcohol addicts. In such a situation, the best way out is to prepare a non-alcoholic analog of spicy hot wine, replacing the latter with cherry juice.

See here are 11 recipes mulled wine, delicious!

Update: 04.02.2017

Category: Wine and Vermouth