mulled wine is fully associated with the Christmas period. At the end of the holidays, we appreciate drinking a little mulled wine, with friends, with family. It can be taken by strolling in the Christmas markets, outside on the terrace or simply at home in front of a good fireplace. The mulled wine brings together, comforts and gives us a pleasant time!
Throughout Europe, drinking mulled wine during the winter period has become a real tradition to the point of almost making it an institution. However, originally, drinking mulled wine is not noble.
backwards over 2000 years ago: From Antiquity, spices are actually associated with wine. In Roman times the Paradoxum conditum was a mixture of wine and honey; To this was added pepper, putty (pistachio resin, pistacia lentiscus and no the building putty j ), saffron, laurel and nard ( nardostachys jatamansi plant which we use its fragrant rhyzome).
The spices above all made it possible to keep wine much longer and thus mask the oxidized taste of wine. This drink was rather consumed at the end of a meal as digestive. Roman expansion then popularized spicy wines across Europe. The recipes of hypocras in the Middle Ages inspired by Roman wines brought more sweet notes; and are also added cinnamon, cloves and citrus.
It was not until later, in northern Europe that we will begin to heat the sweet wine. Indeed, he gives the impression of warming up during cold days. We thus find the first traces of wine heated in Sweden, called Glögg served with grapes and almonds. In Germany, Alsace, Switzerland or Austria, he is given the name of Glühwein. Today, each country has its own recipe: in Scandinavia, we add vodka, rum or cognac wine to the wine. In Quebec, there is caribou, a mulled wine with strong alcohol and spices. Whatever all the variants of mulled wine that can be found today, there is one thing we have kept: the tradition of drinking it at Christmas!
