Vin Chaud Recipe (French Mulled Wine for Winter) (2024)

FAQs

What does vin chaud mean in English? ›

Vin chaud (French mulled wine) is an iconic Christmas drink.

In the Netherlands, Glühwein is called bisschopswijn (bishop's wine) and is made using oranges instead of lemons. Order Vin chaud (hot wine), a less sweet variety when in France. Bulgaria likes to add honey, peppercorns and apples and call it greyano vino (heated wine).

Just follow the directions for your favorite recipe and let the wine simmer with spices until it's deeply infused. Then let the mulled wine cool at room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container, and store it in the fridge — it will keep well there for up to three days.

The best red wines for mulled wines taste bright and fresh, such as Grenache, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, fruit-forward Pinot Noir. Inexpensive Bordeaux is another great choice for mulled wine; in fact, claret was a traditional choice for British mulled wine in William Shakespeare's day.

Everything you need to know about vin chaud

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.

Mulled wine, also known as spiced wine, is an alcoholic drink usually made with red wine, along with various mulling spices and sometimes raisins, served hot or warm.

The heat used in mulling encourages greater flavours from the citrus and the spices but also reduces the alcohol content, hence the common addition of a slug of spirit or liqueur just before serving.

Not much. Mulled wine is warmed, not boiled. Usually with added spices. Whether in a still or in boeuf bourguignon, the higher the heat, the more alcohol is released.

Mulled wine is essentially red wine simmered with various cozy spices like cinnamon, cloves and star anise that give it a delicious, spiced flavor. You can make it with brandy or another dark liquor for an extra kick!

Once opened, mulled wine is known to only maintain its quality for 3 to 5 days. You will be able to determine whether your mulled wine has gone bad by assessing its appearance, aroma, and taste. Visually inspect the wine for any unusual changes, such as a cloudy or murky appearance, sedimentation, or discolouration.

Can you overheat mulled wine? ›

Be careful not to over heat or boil the mixture. Since alcohol evaporates at 172 degrees which is much lower than water you would be left with a non-alcoholic version of mulled wine and that defeats the purpose.

Yes. Even though the spiced wine is heated, most of the alcohol remains.

I recommend looking for a bottle of Zinfandel, Merlot, Grenache, Brandy: Similar to sangria, it's also traditional to spike your mulled wine with an extra bit of liqueur. Brandy is the traditional choice, but Cointreau (or another orange liqueur) or tawny port are also delicious alternatives.

It's the festive tipple that gets the nation feeling merry at Christmas, but you might sober right up if you had to pay £60 for a glass. That's the price of a new mulled wine on sale at Searcys bar in St Pancras station in London.

Just like with the best wines for sangria, the wines you choose for mulled wine don't need to be fancy (you'll be adding other ingredients to it anyway so there's no need to break the bank on an expensive bottle).

“C'est quoi?” I asked, as I took a sip, finding the beverage slightly sweet and tantalizingly warming. “Vin chaud,” I was told. Hot wine. Mulled wine in Paris not only tastes delicious, it keeps you warm.

Etymology. From French vin (“wine”) + chaud (“hot”).

The first record of mulled wine was called 'conditum paradoxum', which roughly translates to 'surprise spiced wine'. The drink was described in the Apicius' De re coquinaria (one of the oldest Roman cookbooks) as a combination of wine, honey, pepper, laurel, saffron, and dates.