Mulled Wine

The article was originally published in the Benicia Herald on November 30, 2008.

Last November, I took a trip to Geurnville with some of my friends to celebrate my best friend's birthday. We rented a house we lovingly nicknamed "the wine cabin" and spent a long weekend wine tasting in the Sonoma area. It was a blast.

During our stay, I told Emily I would make sure there was a toasty pot full of mulled wine on the stove at all times. Since some of our friends had never had it before, I was really excited to share one of my favorite winter traditions with those who shared the wine cabin with us for the celebratory weekend.

It was in planning for this trip that I really got to thinking about various mulled wine recipes. Emily and I had our debates about what type of wine should be used as the base for the drink. I got to thinking that instead of just buying a pre-made sachet of mulling spices, I'd like to try putting a recipe together myself. Although we delighted in the mulled wine I made for the occasion, I'm still not convinced I've nailed the perfect brew. This week, I thought I'd share some of the research I've been doing lately to try and step up my wine-mulling skills in hopes that it may help those of you who also enjoy the tradition.

I called up one of my wine haunts in San Jose to get me started. Jean Johnson at the J. Lohr tasting room said that the winery recommends its 2007 J. Lohr Estates Wildflower Valdiguié for mulled wine. The tasting room also hands out a mulled wine recipe to guests. Johnson said to take two bottles of the Valdiguié, four tablespoons of lemon juice, a half teaspoon of nutmeg, three cinnamon sticks and 15 whole cloves and throw it in a large pot. When it boils, add a half cup of sugar and simmer for a couple of hours.

"I like to make mine in a crock pot," Johnson told me. "If I feel really fancy, I'll sometimes float some orange slice on the top or throw in a splash of brandy or Cointreau."

I like Johnson's take on the crock pot. A few years ago, my sister and I made the brew in her large crock pot with a pre-made sachet. Throughout the week leading up to Christmas, we woke up every morning and turned the pot on low so that between bone-chilling shopping excursions we could warm our hands around the filled mugs. When the pot started to run low, we simply poured in more wine. It was perfect.