Gluhwein, Mosel Style (Mulled White Wine)
I lived in Germany for over 4 years and every year I looked forward to the local Christmas Market. It was an absolute must to get a mug of gluhwein and drink it while checking out the local craftsmen. Unlike other areas in Germany and Switzerland, along the Mosel river, their gluhwein is made from the local white wine.
I lived in Germany for over 4 years and every year I looked forward to the local Christmas Market. It was an absolute must to get a mug of gluhwein and drink it while checking out the local craftsmen. Unlike other areas in Germany and Switzerland, along the Mosel river, their gluhwein is made from the local white wine.
- Carbohydrate 20.8107517925528 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 1.03958817044934 g
- Fiber 2.55589187240125 g
- Protein 0.465965602340373 g
- Saturated Fat 0.277678365292844 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (33g)
- Sodium 12.3028410987132 mg
- Sugar 18.2548599201515 g
- Trans Fat 0.324093231969005 g
- Calories 84 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat the wine and sugar in a pot over low heat.
- Stud the orange slices with the cloves and add the orange slices, lemon slices, cinnamon, allspice and cardomon pods to the wine.
- Simmer for a couple of hours.
Maintaining a gentle temperature below 80 degrees Celsius prevents the alcohol from evaporating prematurely while allowing the fragile terpene compounds in Riesling to bind with the extracted essential oils from the citrus peel. Heavy-bottomed stainless steel or enameled cast iron vessels distribute heat evenly across the base, stopping localized hot spots from scorching the dissolved sugar before it fully incorporates into the liquid. While traditional recipes call for whole spices added directly to the pot, enclosing the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and cardamom pods in a cheesecloth bag saves considerable straining time later without inhibiting flavor extraction.
Studding the orange slices with whole cloves utilizes the piercing action to rupture the citrus fruit's oil glands, releasing volatile aromatic compounds directly into the surrounding wine as it slowly steeps. Breaking the cinnamon sticks into smaller pieces increases their surface area exposed to the liquid, accelerating the transfer of cinnamaldehyde and woody tannins into the batch during the two-hour simmering window. Allspice seeds and cardamom pods should be lightly cracked with the flat side of a chef's knife beforehand to fracture their hard outer hulls, exposing the inner seeds so the alcohol can easily dissolve their fat-soluble flavor compounds.
Extended steeping times past the initial two hours risk shifting the flavor profile from pleasantly spiced to overly bitter as the woody spices leach harsh astringent compounds into the wine. Monitoring the liquid level ensures that excessive evaporation does not concentrate the residual sugars past the point of palatability, which would require diluting the mixture with additional unheated wine to restore the original balance. When scaling the recipe down for smaller Dutch ovens, maintain the exact ratio of two cups of sugar to four liters of wine to preserve the necessary viscosity.
Refrigerating leftover mulled wine in a sealed glass container for up to forty-eight hours mellows the sharp spice notes as the organic acids and botanical compounds continue to meld together. Reheating stored portions requires returning the liquid to just under a simmer over medium-low heat, taking care never to let it reach a vigorous boil if residual alcohol retention is desired.
