‘Tis the season for Glühwein! “Gluh what?” you ask. Well, come gather around the fire and let us fill you in. Oh and don’t worry it has nothing to do with the Elmer’s kind you slopped on the back of paper snowflakes as a kid.
The surest way to spice up your holiday season is to embrace the age-old Alpine holiday drink known as Glühwein (“Glow Wine” also called mulled wine). This cozy libation packs more Christmas spirit in a single sip than an entire mug of eggnog.
Made from the joyful tears of Santa’s drunkest elves, Glühwein is a delicious treat on cold winter nights. It wraps its arms around you and gives you a big, warm holiday hug just like that mall Santa did years ago.
The ancient Romans are thought to have been the first to enjoy Glühwein. As they conquered Europe, they didn’t just leave behind ruins, but also wine’s enduring splendor. Glühwein included. Germanic regions took quite a liking to this sweetly spiced goodness and made it a must-have during the holiday season.
Glühwein isn’t a drink that lights you up like a Christmas tree, but even the Scroogiest among us can’t resist the merry cheer found in a steamy cup. If you’re not full of holiday song by the last drop, consider yourself a stubborn Grinch.
![Gluhwein at a Christmas]()
How to Make Glühwein
How to Make GlühweinFortunately, you don’t need to raid Santa’s cellar to get your hands on this stuff. Follow these 6 simple steps to make Glühwein right in the comforts of your own home. In less than 15 minutes, you can ease into your chair by the fire and mull over the wonders of mulled wine.
Step 1
Hit your local wine shop and pick up a bottle of red wine. Opinions vary on the best type with some opting for full-bodied reds like Malbec to others proclaiming bright and fruity reds like Pinot Noir work best.
We’re hopeless mountain lovers. We use Alpine reds from Alto Adige. A couple favorites include the lovely Lagrein from the award-winning Elena Walch and Nals Margreid wine estates. Not only do these wines make Glühwein fit for a king, they also pair exceptionally well with the Alps most hearty dishes.
Step 2
Make sure you have the following goodies on hand at home: sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves and oranges. Yes, oranges.
Step 3
Learn German. Just kidding. We did that for you. However, it does help foster a festive holiday cooking mood to begin your new Glühwein tradition by playing a little traditional German Christmas music from South Tyrol, home to Europe’s most charming Christmas markets.
Of course if you’re looking for something a bit more upbeat, you could always spin this nifty holiday classic from Germany’s most beloved singer. Nothing says Christmas like the Hoff!
Step 4
Grab a pot and prep the ingredients that you will be adding to it. This includes: ½ cinnamon stick, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 5 cloves and peel of an orange (¼ to ½ of orange).
Step 5
Pour the entire bottle of wine into the pot (it’s okay to lick the cork), add the cinnamon stick, sugar, cloves and orange peel. Bring the wine to nearly a boil. Don’t boil the wine though as that will reduce the alcohol content thus the amount of fun you’ll have by equal measure.
Step 6
Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves with a fine strainer. Pour this new found Christmas magic into cups and serve immediately. Note: You can add rum or brandy to the Glühwein if you want to crank up the festiveness at your holiday gathering. But if sweetness is your weakness, honey is fine to add as well.
Bonus Step
Repeat steps 1-6 as often as needed. Nah no one will judge you. Life is too short to deny sipping away holiday stress with ample amounts of Glühwein.
![Mulled Wine Recipe]()
Feeling Fine with Glühwein
Feeling Fine with GlühweinEnjoying Glühwein at home is an enticing way to the take chill out of any winter night. But more importantly, be sure to enjoy a cup or three while visiting a Christmas market. Drinking anything else would no doubt upset the Krampus lurking in the corner. Not a wise move.
If the thought of laboring in the kitchen to make another holiday treat sucks the season right out of you…don’t worry. Glühwein can be purchased in the liquor store. Just warm it up and serve the gift that will keep on giving.
We wish you a most Merry Christmas! Cheers!
I LOVE mulled wine and mulled cider! So festive, yummy and the whole house smells AMAZING when its brewing!
Happy Holidays!
xoxo Christie
http://www.icanstyleu.com/blog/
I don’t particularly like mulled wine, but I know my friends love it and I have to bring something to our Christmas dinner… Might give it a go!!!
I didn’t know that Glühwein was mulled wine! “Made from the joyful tears of Santa’s drunkest elves.” Haha! I may not be licking the cork but I would take some Glühwein now that I know what it is, if anyone offered!
Homemade glow wine is SO good. When I was in Vienna last year, I absolutely fell in love with their apple hot wines! <3
Wow this wine is something new to me.. Seems interesting. I liked the preparation, would love to try it out. Happy holidays!
I love Glühwein! I only drink it at Christmas Markets but it makes my winter holidays oh so festive. I tried to make it at home once but failed to add the requisite amount of sugar so it was terrible. Much easier to have others do the heavy lifting and me stay oblivious to how many calories one glass has!
My family are coming around this evening to celebrate Christmas as we are going skiing next Saturday. I’m so tempted to hop to the supermarket and put this receipt to the test. First I need to clean though…..
OMG I LOVE gluhwein!! Was in Germany for a Christmas Market hop press trip last year and wanted to drink it alllllll, but was pregs!! Now I can make it at home to make up for it lol. Thanks for sharing this!
Oh my gosh! I totally love mulled wine. It usually doesn’t get cold enough in Texas so I just crank up the air conditioner in December and pretend! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
There’s no winter without mulled wine for me <3 I never tried to make it myself before, but thanks to your recipe I believe this will be my first time 😀
Thank you for introducing me to the Glow Wine. I love cinnamon and this looks like a perfect way to spice up your wine.
You’re welcome Anu! We hope you enjoy it and make it a holiday tradition in your home!
Hey…this seems easy enough to try this Xmas. Am a little tired of the same old wine and this does add that zest to the wine. And the little citrus punch too. Have a hic…I mean Merry Xmas. Cheers
Glühwein is a new drink for me. The detailed recipe seems doable. With winter on I must try this out.
I make mulled wine all the time in winter. I like using a Merlot, and an inexpensive bottle is perfect for this. I actually use two cinnamon sticks in mine. Plus I bring the water to a boil first, then add the sugar and dissolve it along with the lemons. Then I finally add the wine, cinnamon and cloves and let it steep for about 20 minutes.
Such a great idea! I’ll have to try it your way also! Plus, you can never have too much cinnamon
Mulled wine is my favorite in this season. Only a few days back I was in Switzerland and had my quota of Gluehwein. Thanks for sharing the recipe . I think I will try it out for sure. I hope I don’t spoil a good bottle of red 😉 😉
Seasons Greetings, Katelyn!
I want to drink the joyful tears of Santa’s drunkest elves!! Lol Glühwein does sound quite delicious, and it’s pretty cool that there’s a history associated with it right back to the Roman Empire. Thanks for sharing the recipe – off to the shops!
So I’ve been drinking a lot of gluhwein lately in Austria and I had no idea what all goes into it! I just knew red wine hit cinnamon, cloves and orange ? Really ? All I know is, I absolutely love it!
I’m not into alcoholic drinks, but I know a lot of my friends are, so I will tell them about this. 🙂
I’ve never tried warmed mulled wine, but it sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe and instructions, I can’t wait to mix up a batch to share with my family on Christmas Eve!
I had never heard of this and now I want to make it right now! Thanks for the inspiration!!!!
This sounds like the perfect drink for a cold Christmas night! I’ll have to give it a try!