Warm up your winter with Virgin Wines
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
As the nights grow darker and the air carries a crisp chill, the cosiest months lie ahead. From Halloween and Bonfire Night through to Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, there's one drink that's guaranteed to be the star of the show.
Mulled wine is the perfect festive drink to pair with autumn and winter. Whether you're enjoying a comforting glass by the fire or hosting a Christmas party, with Virgin Wines’ winning recipe and helpful knowledge, everything you need to know to create the most delicious drink of the season is right here.
The essentials
Jam-packed with flavour, mulled wine should be warm, sweet, fruity and full of citrus and spice. With Virgin Wines’ tips and tricks, this is a guarantee - but be warned, people will be asking for the recipe!
To create the most show-stopping wine, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, nutmeg and vanilla are essentials. However, a secret tip from Virgin Wines to take your recipe to the next level is to add a handful of peppercorns, coriander seeds and cardamom pods.
Fruitiness is key to striking the right balance with the strength of the spices. For some important zest, Virgin Wines recommends a few slices of clementine and lemon and a dash of freshly squeezed orange juice. Adding some chunks of apple will also complement the clove and cinnamon nicely. Finally, adding honey or caster sugar to taste will leave you with a balanced level of sweetness.
How to perfect the festive favourite
Method:
1. Add the honey/sugar to a large saucepan on a medium heat, squeeze in some fresh clementine juice and throw in your chunks of clementine, lemon and apple.
2. Add in your more subtle spices (basically everything but the star anise) and just enough red wine to submerge the ingredients, and simmer.
3. Once the honey/sugar has blended into the wine, boil for a few minutes until the texture of the wine becomes syrupy. Reduce the heat to low, add in the star anise and the rest of the red wine, then cover and leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Keep checking on it to ensure the blend doesn’t bubble, as this is a sign that too much alcohol is being burnt off! Keep tasting and top up with more honey/sugar or orange juice if you feel it’s lacking in sweetness or zest.
For an extra-punchy mulled wine, you can also add a splash of brandy (Cognac works best), whisky (go for Bourbon) or port to the pan once you’ve reduced the heat right down.
Ready, set, serve
Once you’ve made your super-juicy, warm and complexly flavoured mulled wine, it's time to serve.
With so many ingredients in the saucepan, you’ll need to filter out any unwanted lumps and pips from the chunks of fruit. Ladle the wine into heatproof glasses or mugs and garnish with a wedge of clementine, a few cloves and a cinnamon stick.
Whether you pour everyone a glass for a festive toast, sip away by the bonfire or curl up on the sofa, enjoy your homemade cup of deliciousness and relax.
The secret ingredient
Make your mulled wine extra special by using a bottle from Virgin Wines’ Vineyard Collection. Currently, Virgin Wines is crafting its own unique wine at vineyards in the following locations: South Africa, England, France and Australia.
This ambitious venture ensures that every glass is genuinely distinctive, bespoke and high-quality.
Save £86 on a case of delicious wines
Alongside a free bottle of bubbly, enjoy each bottle for only £4.99 with free delivery.
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