Mulled Wine

One of my favorite Fall and Winter drinks is Mulled Wine. I can't remember the first time I was introduced to it but it was instant love at first taste. It's perfect for gatherings or for yourself and it's really easy to make.

I'll start you off with the main ingredients you'll need

1. 1 Bottle of a Red Table Wine

2. Mulling Spices

3. Juice of choice - Apple Cider/Cranberry Juice/Wassail Punch

Wine- When making a mulled wine, because you're adding in spices and juice, you want to stick with a table red wine over a bold red because you'll drown out the flavors. You can use any table red you'd like.

Mulling Spices- you can find mulling spices at your local grocery store and most wineries are now offering their own mulled wine so you can get it from them as well. If you don't have access to mulling spices you can most likely create your own with a combination of cinnamon or cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, orange slices, that sort of thing.

Juice- In the Fall I love to use Apple Cider. You can also use cranberry juice. Some stores may actually carry a Wassail Punch that's a delicious spiced juice. All of these are fantastic options. You can also make Mulled Wine without any juice.

How To:

If you're not knew here, you probably know by now that I like the "wing it" mentality. If you're new here, well, my "recipe" should really be called "Just Wing It"

You have 2 options- you can use the stock pot or a crock pot. Stock pot is quicker but I actually prefer a crock pot. I bought this mini one for $8 at Target a couple years ago specifically for Mulled Wine.

1. Add one bottle of red table wine to your crockpot

2. Add in 1-2 cups (estimated) of juice of choice

3. Add in Mulling Spices- amount will depend on what your packet instructions tell you.

4. If you're using a crock pot, time to warm may vary based on size. I like to give my small one here about 40 minutes to an hour. If you're using a stock pot you'll want to bring everything to a low simmer.

5. Once it's steamy warm, serve! I like to enjoy it in a copper mug or a wine hydroflask to keep it warm longer.

Mulled wine (spiced wine) gives you everything you love about wine but with added spices wrapped in warmth.

I've made mulled wine a variety of different ways. A lot of the wineries in the Finger Lakes have been making their own mulled wines and offer mulling spices to go with their table red so you can make it at home. I used cranberry juice for the first time this winter and I really loved the taste of that one. Cider is my go-to in the Fall. And Trader Joe's has a Wassail Punch that I used in this recipe that was delicious as well!

If you're a wine lover like me, you'll love mulled wine! Also- even if you're not a big red wine fan, I promise you'll still love this. With the added spices and juice, it adds a whole new flavor. And table red wines aren't as strong in flavor as a Merlot, Pinot Noir, etc, they're much easier to drink. I've also had a white mulled wine before from a winery on Keuka lake and that was a delicious surprise!

Enjoy!