Mulling Over the Holiday Tradition of Mulled Wine

Winter makes us want to hibernate; to sit by a roaring fire filled with comfort food, and sip something warm, maybe even spirited. That’s why mulled wines are a natural go-to for the holidays, and those cold winter days ahead.

Mulling Spices

“Mulled” means to heat and spice. A mulled wine is usually created using a red wine, Syrah or Zinfandel are good choices, as is a Port or claret. Then select spices, like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, anise, cardamom, citrus, even vanilla, along with sugar or honey for additional sweetening. Fruits such as raisins, apples, and figs, even cranberries can be added along with vodka, rum, sherry or brandy for an added kick. Top it off with a cinnamon stick for stirring, and you have a mulled wine.

Early Rome

So where did we get this inclination to heat up a wine? It goes back to the First Century in Rome. It was the early Romans who spiced wines and heated them up. It was thought to be a way to save wine that was spoiling.

Hippocrates

Ypocras

The Greeks claim that Hippocrates, the Greek father of medicine, invented mulled wine and called it Ypocras. It was to be used as a medicinal tonic. Either way, word spread of the wonderfully warming concoction and soon other countries were creating their own versions.

Gluhwein

In Germany and Austria it is known as Glühwein, which loosely translates into “glow wine.” The wine was named because of the hot irons pulled from the fire and placed in the wine to mull it. The recipe has been basically the same since the 1400’s; the wine is made by taking a red wine, adding cinnamon, sugar, cloves, star aniseed, citrus and sometimes, vanilla, then heated, or “mulled” together. Glühwein has become an essential beverage of the German Christmas season.

Lussekattre

The Nordic countries call it gløgg and usually serve it with ginger snaps, rice pudding, or lussekattre (a sweet saffron bun.) There are alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions available for purchase at stores and holiday markets.

Making Glogg

But most still prefer to make their own gløgg, using red wine, sugar, and a variety of spices including ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and bitter orange. Other spirits may also be added such as vodka or brandy.

Negus

The British embraced mulled wine after Charles Dickens touted it as the traditional holiday drink in A Christmas Carol. In Victorian England Negus was a take on mulled wine using Port, spices, sugar, and water. Negus was extremely popular, and was even served to children at special celebrations.

Mulled Crockpot Wine

In the U.S. mulled wine is also a holiday favorite. We tend to mix the ingredients together, place everything in a crockpot turned on low, and let it simmer. That way a mulled glass of wine is always ready, whether you’ve been shoveling snow, decorating the Christmas tree, or addressing holiday cards – cause you never know when that urge to hibernate and stare into a fire will overtake you at this time of year - and you should always be prepared.

Cheers! And Happy Holidays!

~ Joy

Thanksgiving History - Being Thankful for Wine

Thanksgiving is a traditional, and federal holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday of November. The Continental Congress first declared the National Proclamation of Thanksgiving in 1777. The days of Thanksgiving varied from year to year but were celebrated with some regularity in the mid-17^th century after the harvest was in.

Lincoln

But it was in 1863, when President Lincoln proclaimed it a national holiday to be celebrated the fourth Thursday of November each year that Thanksgiving began to become a treasured holiday.

The Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621 at what is now the Plymouth Plantation. The three-day feast was held after the first successful harvest in the New World.  Over fifty Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag Indians attended the celebration.

Deer

The foods of the first Thanksgiving vary somewhat from what we have today.  The Pilgrims did have access to wild turkeys, but there was also venison, eel, cod, bass, and waterfowl available.

Autumn Vegetables

The vegetables that were available included corn, onions, leeks, carrots, cabbage, various squash and pumpkins; nuts, dried fruits, cranberries, and apples were also included in the feast.

Thanksgiving Dinner

In modern times, our Thanksgiving usually includes what has become traditional foods; turkey, dressing/stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, autumn vegetables such as corn, beans, squash, and pumpkin pies. The choice of beverage usually includes tea, coffee, colas, wine, and beer.

Mayflower

But has wine always been a Thanksgiving staple?  According to information regarding the cargo carried by the Mayflower – wine was regularly included on its shipping routes. The Mayflower’s hold could carry 180 oak casks of wine and was typically loaded with wines from Bordeaux and La Rochelle, France to be shipped back to England.

Hard Cider Casks

Wine was also listed in supplies sent to the New World from England, along with beer, aqua vita, (a drink made from distilled wine or beer) and hard cider.  As the colonists learned how to make these beverages in America, they began to disappear from the shipping supply roles. While native grapes, fruits, and grains would have changed the taste of the wines, beers, and hard ciders, colonists learned how to work with them to craft flavorful beverages to be enjoyed with their meals.  By the mid-1600’s, hard cider was the drink of choice in the colonies.

Wine with the Bird

Today, there are many wines touted as excellent Thanksgiving wines – Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Gewurztraminer/Traminette, and sparkling wines like a Moscato, to name just a few. 

Georges Duboeuf

Georges Duboeuf knew that Beaujolais would pair wonderfully well with the normal autumn celebration fare, but this wine was traditionally not released until December 15th.  

 With that in mind, Duboeuf released his Beaujolais on the third Thursday of November, and called it Beaujolais Nouveau. Now the third Thursday of November is heralded by the anticipated release of Beaujolais Nouveau, well ahead of the traditional Beaujolais release date, and just in time for autumn celebrations.

Fruit Wines

If you’re feeling adventurous and would like to add a bit of authentic autumn flavor to your celebrations, consider a cranberry wine, or one crafted from pumpkins, persimmons, or apples.  You might even want to try a sparkling Shiraz.

Regardless of your choice of food and wines for this Thanksgiving, remember to be thankful for that wine glass, and for what’s in it!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

~  Joy

I’m Dreaming of a Wine Christmas – Corked for the Holidays

It’s time to relax, have a little fun, and get ready for the holidays.  For the next three weeks, we’ll take a look at what you can do with the other parts of that bottle of wine.  Today, let’s start at the top with the cork.

If you recycle your corks, you are a true Eco-Wine Lover.  Kudos to you, and please disregard this.  But, if you seem to end up with a drawer full of them, here’s a few holiday ideas to help eliminate the cork clutter and, maybe, get a few gift ideas out of the way for the wine lovers on your list.

First, decide what you’d like to create.  Options include a wine cork wreath, cork bulletin board or trivet, cork wine tree, and cork bottle tags. Next, gather your corks and a hot glue gun.   Now, pour a glass of your favorite wine and follow the instructions from the options below.

Wine Cork Wreath – 

Start with a wreath form from your local craft store.  Attach the corks with the hot glue gun. Place them in a random fashion, covering the wreath. When you’re finished, attach a holiday bow and hang.

Wine Cork Bulletin Board or Trivet –

Begin by gluing the corks together. You can glue them in a parquet pattern of two up and two down, or all in a straight line, end-to-end and side-to-side.  The size of the bulletin board or trivet depends on how many corks you have.

For a trivet, instead of gluing the corks together lying side by side, you could cut them in half and glue them standing up, leaving some space between them to create a fancier pattern.  If you use this method, you can even create some matching wine coasters.

Once glued in a pattern, glue the corks to a board that will provide a sturdy backing for them.  If you’re creating a bulletin board, you might want to put a frame around the corks.  If you’ve crafted a trivet, you could consider small plastic feet so the wood does not scratch the counter surface it sets on.

Wine Cork Tree – 

Arrange various corks in the shape of a Christmas tree and glue together.  Check the ends of the corks – many red wines will have already provided a nice coloring to them.  Others, you may wish to give a light coating of green food coloring to. Glue two corks together to attach to the bottom as a trunk, or cut the top off a champagne cork and use the thick part as the trunk and the round part for the top of the tree.  Attach a festive ribbon to complete your wine cork tree.

Cork Wine Bottle Tags - 

Purchase sheets of cork from your local craft store.  Use a paper wine bottle tag or bottle necker as a guide and trace onto the sheet of cork.  Cut the tag shape out carefully and attach a ribbon to the top.  If this is a gift, include a sharpie pen for writing on the bottle tag – and a bottle of wine to get them started.

Once you’ve finished, sit back and enjoy a glass of wine as you ponder how you ended up with that many wine corks anyway… ; D

Enjoy!

~ Joy