One of our favorite parts of Christmas is European Christmas markets and mulled wine, a festive winter drink.
Around late November or early December each year, Christmas markets start to appear in piazzas all over Italy, selling handcrafted gifts and typical holiday foods and drinks such as vin brûlé, usually served in ceramic mugs.
Vin brûlé called bisò in the Emilia-Romagna region is always made with a good wine like, Sangiovese (the predominate grape in good clean red).
It's a warming, aromatic beverage that's lovely to sip on cold winter days. It's great to make a big potful of it for a holiday party and ladle mugfuls of it out as guests arrive–with the bonus of making your house smell wonderful and festive!
Here's our recipe for Italian-style mulled wine, Vin Brûlé made with our full-bodied, fruity clean wine.
Mulled Wine Ingredients: 1 bottle good clean red, 1 orange sliced, 2 tablespoons mulling spices, 1/2 cup honey
Mulled Wine Instructions: Combine red wine, honey, sliced orange, and mulling spices into a stock pot. Bring to a boil, continually stirring honey until dissolved. Reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 30 min. Ladle through a fine-mesh strainer into mugs or heat-resistant glasses to serve. You can garnish each mug with an orange slice or stick of cinnamon if desired.
Serve steaming hot as a welcome wine, a Tuesday night wine, or a good night wine.