A million years ago – when Kevin and I were dating – we went to Christkindle Market in Chicago on a date. Even though I had lived in the Chicago suburbs all my life, I had never been. It was a delightful place filled with German sausages and sauerkraut, booths of little, German hand carved treasures and glass ornaments and warm, mulled wine. Now, each Christmas season, we visit the market.
Christkindle Market
If you’re not familiar with Christkindle Market (which we have always pronounced Chris Kringle Market), it a traditional German outdoor Christmas market in the heart of Chicago. It was inspired by the 16th century Christkindlemarkt (truly how they spell it) in Nuremberg, Germany. The market runs from the day after Thanksgiving through Chrsitmas Eve and has been a Chicago tradition since 1996.
It’s now a family tradition too.
Experiencing Mulled Wine
The first time we went was my first experience at the market but also the first time I ever drank Mulled Wine. Mulled Wine is also sometimes known as spiced wine and is traditionally made of red wine with various spices and raisins. It is served warm and is a traditional Christmas drink in Europe that’s often served at the Christmas markets.
If you’ve never had Mulled Wine before, it’s quite the experience. The first time I had Mulled Wine, I wasn’t sure it was for me. It can be an acquired taste depending on the ingredients used and the amount of spices involved.
As I’ve had it over the years, I have really come to enjoy it, especially when there’s a few more fruits added into the process.
Making Mulled Wine
One of the things I love about Mulled Wine is that there isn’t one standard recipe for it. Two people will make it completely differently and there’s a beautiful art in that.
As I mentioned above, the traditional way to make Mulled Wine is with raisins and mulled spices – or whole spices- and maybe a bit of Brandy. I tend to add more fruit when I make mulled wine and for me, it turns out delicious. I got softer on the spices. They are there and present because otherwise my Mulled Wine would be warm Sangria, but there’s definitely a lot of other flavors going on too.
Tips for making Mulled Wine
- To make Mulled Wine you want to use a large pot or Dutch Oven. I use this Dutch Oven {HERE} from Le Creuset. I tend to make everything in this and adore it. It’s cast iron with enamel glaze and I’ve used the Le Creuset Dutch ovens to make Sourdough, all of my soups and even pasta sauce
- To make Mulled Wine, you usually want to start with a full-bodied red wine. I like Cabernet Sauvignon. There is a trend to make Mulled Wine with white wine too that I’ve seen floating around, but I’m not a white wine kind-of-a-girl anyways.
- Using whole spices is actually really important because you don’t want there to be a texture in the wine when drinking it. Spices I suggest include cinnamon sticks, star anise and whole cloves.
- It’s really, really important to simmer Mulled Wine. You do not want it to boil because that will cook off all the alcohol.
- To served, strain out the fruit and spices. You can serve it just as it is or add back in fresh fruit or a cinnamon stick too.
- To see me make it live, check out the video above!
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Looking for more holiday drink recipes or appetizers?
Try these recipes if you are looking for more lovely drinks and appetizers for the season.
- Christmas Mimosas {HERE}
- Crispy Garlic Smashed Potatoes {HERE}
- Easy Artichoke Spinach Dip {HERE}
- Prosciutto and Brie Crostini {HERE}
- Spiced Apple Cherry Cider {HERE}
Hot Buttered Apple Cider with Rum {HERE} - Pomegranate Pina Colada {HERE}
Shop our kitchen
Here’s a few things I used in making the Mulled Wine that you might find helpful!
- Le Creuset Signature 5.5 qt. Round Cream Dutch Oven with Lid
- Portable Induction Cooktop – I have to say even if you don’t feel like you need this, these are so handy!
- Glass warm beverage mugs
- Vintage Linen Blend Apron
- Olive wood spoon
Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! I hope you love my Mulled Wine recipe! You can find a full, printable recipe below. Happy celebrating!
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Mulled Wine
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon
- 1 cup Brandy This can be optional.
- 1/2 cup of blueberries
- 1 cup of blackberries
- 1 cup of cranberries, halved
- 1/4 cup of maple syrup
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 4 whole cloves
- 3 whole star anise pods
- 3-4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 & 1/2 sliced oranges
- Optional garnishes: Orange slices, blackberries, whole cranberries
Instructions
- Add your wine to a large Dutch Oven and set the heat on low.
- Add in all your other ingredients above.
- Simmer the whole mixture for about 45 minutes. You want to give it at least 30 minutes. By the time you reach an hour your fruit may really disintegrating so don't go over an hour.
- Serve in a mug made for hot beverages and garnish with additional fruits and whole spices.
I’ve actually never tried mulled wine so I need to give this recipe a go
That sounds so good. I received a mulled wine recipe from a cruise I was on and the family loves it!
I’ve never tried mulled wine and I stopped drinking when I had kids. Maybe I’ll try it but boil the alcohol out!
I LOVE mulled wine, but I’ve never tried making it at home before. I can’t wait to try this recipe. It looks so good!
My mom would love this recipe. I will pass it on to her
I will have to try this for sure. This sounds like something I’d love to sip on while watching christmas movies.
Mulled wine is one of my favorite holiday treats. It’s so warming and delicious. I have to try this recipe.
I don’t think I’ve ever tried mulled wine before. Sounds like I need to try it this year!
This sounds so good! I’m not a big wine drinker but I definitely want to give this a try!
I’ve never had mulled wine. It sounds really good, though. I think it’s time to try my hand at making this.
I don’t drink wine but this loooks good.
This is perfect for the holidays. I need to get the items so I can make this
I can’t get over how delicious this sounds. I saved it on Pinterest so I can come back to it!
This sure does sound good, especially right now. I definitely need to get these ingredients to make this. I bet this would be perfect for a holiday get together too.
I’ve never tried mulled wine. This looks so creative! Thanks for sharing!
I love how festive this mulled wine looks… I imagine it tastes fabulous. It makes the holidays more fun to have drinks like that to share together.
I haven’t tried making any wine. This one sounds great,plus I love any kinds of berries.
I usually just purchased wine whenever there’s an occasion. I think it’s great to make sometimes.
Mulled wine make Christmas holidays more beautiful and special! I will definitely try your recipe these days!
When I was a kid, my parents used to make mulled wine for the holidays. (Probably after we visited Germany for the Christkindle Market.) It always smelled good, but I wasn’t allowed to try it. I think I will make it this year. Thanks for the recipe!
This is absolutely perfect for Christmas! It looks mouth-watering.
This is really neat I have never even heard of this. My mom is a huge wine fan I’ll definitely show her this so we can try it out.
Made with love and fresh ingredients from home. What else is there more to desire?
We were just talking about making mulled cider or wine. This sounds so good! Will definitely be trying this.
This Mulled Wine will be our absolute favorite this holiday season! It looks really delicious and perfect!
OMG, this looks fantastic and can be perfect for make this holiday session special.
It is hard to beat mulled wine. This recipe looks absolutely delicious.
This is interesting as I have never experienced mulled wine. Since we are nowhere near Europe, I love to do a DIY to try this. Thank you for sharing the tips.
I have been to Chicago but I have never experience the night market and these mules. I hope I could try this out when I finally went back. I hope we could normally travel again the soonest.
I’m really not a wine person, but mulled wine looks so festive – I’ll definitely keep note of this one to serve at next year’s holiday parties!
xo Danai @ Living, Learning, Eating
http://living-learning-eating.blogspot.com/
Great pictures. Very well done. It’s been a long time since I had mulled wine, in Chicago as well. I’ve never made it at home and this is the inspiration to try. Thanks for sharing.