Homemade German Glühwein – Homemade Mulled Wine

This is an all time German favorite during Christmas and Winter Season. Glühwein – Mulled Wine. Or an alcohol free alternative. I made my first Glühwein yesterday night. The kitchen smelled amazing like Christmas spices, wine and fruits. YUM!

We have a tradition of making homemade mulled wine on Christmas Eve before dinner. We usually make a fire outside, sometimes grill some little Bratwurst as a starter and warm up with a mug of mulled wine. It’s just our little private Christmas market in our backyard.

You can make the Glühwine using white or red wines. The red is the more traditional choice; white is more on the fancy side but tastes good as well. This recipe is also great for some wine leftovers. For an alcohol-free version just substitue wine for juice. You can also use a juice that gives some tartness like cranberry.

Recipe for 6 people

1 bottle of red or white wine (I used some Californian Zinfandel for mine yesterday, it was a leftover from last weeks dinner )
6 cups of red grape juice (if you go for the white version use white grape juice)
1 organic orange, unpealed sliced
1 stick of cinnamon
6 cloves
6 seeds allspice
2 star anise

Pour wine and juice into a pot and add the sliced orange and cinnamon stick. Give the cloves and allspice a slight crush using a mortar. Let the spices infuse the wine-juice mix for half an hour (or longer) before you heat it up. Serve it steaming hot.

Are you looking for an edible Christmas gift? Have a look at my homemade Coffee Szechuan Spice Mix!