Mulled wine

Food and drink have very important roles at Christmas. Wine, in particular, has a starring role at tables around the world. There you will find reds, whites and rosés of all different types and agings. And, of course, there are the sparkling wines: Champagne from France, cava from Spain, spumante from Italy, sekt from Germany—or just plain “sparkling” from here in Canada. There is, however, yet another star of yuletide tradition in many countries: mulled wine.

Its origin is simple: when wine went bad, adding spices or honey made it drinkable again. But as time went by, mulled wine became more and more associated with Christmas tradition. In A Christmas Carol, the Cratchit family mulled wine over the fire as they waited for Bob Cratchit to arrive home—and, in the spirit of the season, even toasted Scrooge with the warmed brew. Kate Hepburn prepared mulled wine in a memorable scene in The Lion in Winter.

There are many types of mulled wine. Made from red wine, it is heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks, vanilla pods, cloves and sugar. Glögg is a spicy wine offered with ginger biscuits to visitors in Nordic countries. The wine is kept warm in a glögg-flask, or is heated by a candle under a decorated bottle. The German-speaking countries’ version of this treat is “Glühwein”, which is also popular in the French region of Alsace. The French call it “vin chaud” (hot wine), which is very popular in Europe as an après-ski beverage. Other versions of this seasonal treat are “vin fiert” (boiled wine, both red and white) in Romania, “izvar” in Moldova, “kastvins” in Latvia, or “vin brulè” in Northern Italy.

THIS WEEK’S PICK
If you wassailed the County this year, you undoubtedly were offered a glass of mulled wine at several of the participating wineries. Keep in mind that a mulled wine is only as good as the wine that is used and the amount of spices that are added. When gently heated, this beverage warms the body.

Your family Christmas festivities may or may not include wine. But if you are considering the introduction of something new into your celebration, I discovered many options while visiting wineries during the recent Wassail festival.

While at By Chadsey’s Cairns, I enjoyed a delightful sparkling Rosesence, which would set an amiable tone for any gathering. Along with a unique orange wine, Broken Stone Winery also offers a stunning fortified wine. David Gillingham at Domaine Darius has crafted a crackingly good Gamay Nouveaux. And last, but not least, if you gravitate towards white wine, I recommend the Not Red, crafted by Rob Peck of Sugarbush Winery.

Enjoy the season’s cheer!