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It is pronounced “Glue-vine,” and most people start sipping it mid-November. Nothing inspires the feeling of Christmas more than huddling together in the brisk winter air with a mug of steaming hot, sugared wine. There’s even a Christmas song devoted to its American relative; ever whistled the song “Here we go a Wassailing”? In high school, friends who were with me in the show choir would all gather one night during the holiday season and wander around the block singing to their neighbors. We would enjoy being together with cocoa or warm apple cider while the parents sang a little more boisterously, their sound pipes fueled by their cups of mulled wine.
Luxurious afterlife rituals of Egyptian Pharaohs introduced the spiced wine to the world, believing that adding special spices to the liquid imparted medicinal and supernatural powers. Once the spice trade was introduced, noble families utilized spiced wine to show off the wealth and generosity of their medieval households; it was a status symbol. Up until the last 100 years, spices were conserved like gold and only used quite sparingly until certain seasons. In France during medieval times, this type of wine was named Hippocras, after the famous doctor Hippocrates, as it was frequently used to treat a series of ailments. Families also celebrated winter and the Christmas market season by adding these spices to wine and heating them up. It not only masked the flavor of not-so-good vintages, but it made people merry and signified a time of joy.
German Gluehwein is the king of all mulled wines. Mulled wine is just heated wine with added spices, but the current practice of producing Gluehwein varies quite drastically — from simple recipes to complicated concoctions, the goal is to enhance the experience. Some add fruit, nuts or cream-based spirits while others use various high-quality red wine and in some rare cases, white wine.
With a growing number of small Christmas markets popping up around Germany, an estimated 4,000 markets have been added in the last seven years, it’s hard not to go to a Christmas market where almost every other person is holding a mug of the wine. That’s because it is big business. Out of all the people applying to open a booth at a market, 70 to 80 percent of applicants are Gluehwein stands. In 2002, the “Bundesverband Deutscher Schausteller und Marktkaufleute,” or the Federal Association of German showmen and market traders, estimated that the average mulled wine stand has sales of around €50,000 in a single season, two times more than other stall-keepers. Strict rules prevent a glut of supply: Only one Gluehwein stand per five or ten different stands is permitted in each market. In all fairness, Gluehwein sellers are typically charged higher rents.
The only way to decide if you like the wine is to sample it across various vendors. Be careful, after two mugs you will hardly be able to distinguish a difference. It’s important to remember that when you are cold, putting back four or five of these mugs in a short time is quite easy, leading to a good recipe for how not to spend your holiday season. Consume it selectively and wisely. No matter what your preference is, Gluehwein is sure to become another cold weather tradition that you look forward to every holiday season.
Recipes
Easy Amaretto Punch
Servings: 8 to 10
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Need a stellar hit at a party but don’t have that much time to prepare? The best recipe for an instant crowd-pleasing batch of Gluehwein is two bottles of store bought, premade Gluehwein and a bottle of amaretto. Add little curls of orange peel in the mugs, if you want to put some effort in it, and top it off with a sprinkle of nutmeg.
“Feuerzangenbowle” (Fire Punch)
Servings: 10 to 12
Start to finish: 10 minutes
This is basically a heated bowl of Gluehwein that gets kicked up a notch when you suspend a rum-soaked block of sugar over it and light it on fire. The rum and sugar slowly dissolve into the prepared wine and you’ve got “wunderbar” entertainment. Try a warm white Gluehwein recipe, adding 1 cup organic apple juice to two bottles of dry riesling and 1 teaspoon of ginger.
Grandma’s Gluehwein
Servings: 10 to 12
Start to finsh: 1 hour 15 minutes
A classic, traditional drink full of citrus and autumn fruit. Open up two bottles of very dry red wine; Chianti or the local favorite Dornfelder is a perfect choice.
2 oranges
2 green apples
1 pear
1 lemon peel
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
1 small clementine
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
dash of nutmeg
1 whole vanilla pod*
2 bottles extra dry red wine
Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat.
Slice the oranges, green apples and pear.Once water is hot, add in a whole sliced peel from a lemon and the turbinado sugar. Squeeze juice from the small clementine into the sugar and lemon peel mixture and stir.
Place fruit slices in the bottom of the large stock pot. Add in the cinnamon sticks, star anise, a few dashes of nutmeg and a whole vanilla pod. Stir gently, adding in half a cup of wine. Bring to a boil for 3 to 5 minutes, making a nice syrup. Once sugar is dissolved, add the remaining two bottles of wine. Turn the heat to low and let simmer for a least 1 hour.
*Available in all large grocery markets and well worth the money
Raspberry Lemon Peel Muffins
Servings: 12
Start to finish: 35 minutes
Need something that pairs well with a nice warm mug of Gluehwein? Try Raspberry Lemon Peel Muffins. The fruit brings out the liquor’s intensity, and the lemon peel brings out the tartness of the wine.
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup raspberries
1/4 cup dried lemons or candied ginger
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons cinnamon sugar
Heat the oven to 400 F (200 C).
Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.
Mix wet ingredients separately in a medium bowl. Stir wet ingredients into the dry mixture.
Add in raspberries, dried lemons or candied ginger.
Separately whisk together the maple syrup with the cinnamon sugar and pour one teaspoon of the mixture into the center of the batter. Bake for 20 minutes.
