Why you’ll love this vin chaud
Vin chaud – French mulled wine – has easily become one of my favorite Christmas traditions since we moved to France. I look forward to it every year, but I really wanted to try making it at home – in preparation for when we no longer live here. And, I think I’ve perfected the recipe.
There’s so much more to do in Paris during the holidays. There’s the Ferris wheel at Place de la Concorde, ice skating by the Eiffel Tower, and the glowing Christmas market lining the Champs-Elyseés. Fresh crepes and waffles, Christmas beer and warm mulled wine. It’s a beautiful sight to see.
Thankfully, French mulled wine doesn’t require a fancy or expensive wine. I think the bottle I used cost me 2 euros. Personally, I think any wine would do, but a softer, fruitier wine seems a little better suited for mulling.
If you don’t want to imbibe or you want to offer a fun, kid friendly way to enjoy this, try making my non alcoholic mulled wine. It uses the same cozy, mulling spices and tastes pretty close to the real thing.
More cozy, winter drinks: dirty chai latte / pumpkin spice latte / dairy free hot chocolate
Ingredients & substitutions
- Wine – You don’t need anything fancy here. Look for a fruity, medium-bodied red that you’d enjoy drinking on its own. Pinot noir, merlot or Côtes du Rhône would all be great options.
- Navel orange – I like using navel oranges because they are naturally seedless, but any type of orange will work.
- Fresh ginger – Dried ginger can’t replicate the flavor or spiciness of fresh ginger. You only need a small knob though!
- Anise, cloves and cinnamon – You only want whole spices here to make them easier to remove when the wine is finished. They should be as fresh as possible. If you have some old ones, I would suggest replacing them so you get the most vibrant flavor.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, this mulled wine will have the alcohol content of whatever wine you choose. The wine, when warmed for mulling, does not reach a high enough temperature to significantly reduce the alcohol content.
A softer, fruitier wine is best suited for mulling as it will blend smoothly with the mulling spices and fruits used.
Vin chaud doesn’t require a fancy or expensive wine. I think the bottle I used cost me maybe 2 euros. Personally, I think any wine would do.
More holiday drink recipes: Christmas sangria / non alcoholic mulled wine / dairy free eggnog / Christmas gin cocktail
Vin Chaud
Ingredients
- 750 ml bottle red wine
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 navel orange, sliced
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 1- inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
- 1 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Warm the wine. Heat wine in a large saucepan, over medium heat. When wine is warmed, stir in the sugar. Stir occasionally until the sugar has fully dissolved into the wine.
- Steep the spices. Drop in the mulling spices (cinnamon, anise, cloves, ginger and citrus) and reduce the heat to low. Simmer to allow spices to infuse into the wine, I would recommend steeping for at least 30 minutes.
- Garnish and serve. Ladle the mulled wine into glass mugs and serve each with a orange twist.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Mmhhh…I remember this holiday tradition from German Christmas markets. There its called Glühwein, literally meaning glowing wine 🙂
Just noticed it doesn’t say in the recipe when to add the remaining ingredients.
It said in the first step that “until sugar is dissolved”. I guess after sugar dissolves.
Yum! This sounds just perfect, and your photos are gorgeous! Uh.. so jealous that you’re in Paris…. so.. love it while you can!!