March 3 National Mulled Wine Day #NationalMulledWineDay

National Mulled Wine Day is held on March 3 each year and is celebrated across the U.S. and the U.K. While the drink itself is famously associated with Winter and Christmas, our day is held in March. While we search for the reason and person(s) behind national Mulled Wine Day, we invite you to warm yourselves with a glass.

While records officially put Spiced (a.k.a. Mulled) Wine in our world in the second century, there is a distinct possibility Mulled Wine has been around for a lot longer. Did you know historians say Mulled Wine might have been present in Ancient Greece?

. It is assumed that they would put Spices into their Wine to prevent waste (adding Spices makes Wine last longer) and make the drinks as palatable as possible. One theory is that they called this Spiced Wine ‘Hippocras,’ after the father of medicine, Hippocrates.

It is also believed that the ancient Romans took inspiration from this Greek tradition and wound up spicing their Wines, too. Heated and spiced Wine on the official record first appeared during the time of the ancient Romans.

They called their Mulled Wine ‘Conditum Paradoxum,’ and it became immensely popular with the Romans (a version of this recipe is still sold today!). The possibility is high that they took their Wine and their Wine culture to each place they invaded and conquered.

The Middle Ages was when Mulled Wine shined. Popularity peaked during this time, as people loved the taste, and they believed rightly so that the Spices made them healthier and less prone to illness. Before this time, various terms like ‘Spiced Wine’ and sometimes even ‘Mulled Wine’ were used, but this became official in 1618 when this word entered the dictionary. Merriam-Webster wrote ‘mull’ as a verb and defined it as “to heat, sweeten, and flavor (as Wine or Cider) with Spices.”

The current perception of Mulled Wine as a Spicy, festive, Winter-time drink comes from Victorian England when most people would partake of this during Christmas. Recipe books as far back as 1390 detail mixing Spices like Ground Cinnamon, Ginger, Pepper, and so on, with Red Wine.

Decades later, Countries around the world have their own recipes and versions of Mulled Wine. Variations include everything from Red and White Wines to Vermouth to Port. I have a question for you have you had Mulled Wine and do you know where I could purchase it at?

National Mulled Wine Day Activities

Mulled Wine is pretty easy to find, and there are plenty of variations to suit every palate so make sure you have a glass or two today to celebrate National Mulled Wine Day.
If you are tired of store-bought Mulled Wine then you could try your hand at making Mulled Wine using your favorite bottle of Red Wine, which you can then personalize with any Spices or Fruits of your choosing.
Once you’ve perfected your Mulled Wine recipe, invite friends and family over for a quick bite. You can add to the theme by making special desserts like Mulled Wine Cheesecake or Mulled Wine Pudding, whose recipes are available online.

Facts About Mulled Wine

To make i Mulled Wine is to test your patience because Mulled Wine must be carefully heated (slowly) and constantly monitored with a thermometer to make sure the Alcohol content has not burned off. That’s to much work for me. How about you?
Did you know the oldest Mulled Wine in the world Glühwein (or ‘glow-wine’) is very popular in German-speaking Countries and the Alsace region of France.
Mulled Wine is also called…Glogg (Sweden), Vin Chaud (France), Candola (Southern Chile), Caribou (Quebec, Canada), and so on. These are versions of Mulled Wine specific to the region, but they all feature Red Wine with a mix of Spices.
Non-Alcoholic Mulled Wine is an increasingly popular option and is even given to children: the Spices can be mixed with Cider or Fruit Juices to create this drink.
Red Wine works best especially dark, Fruity Wines like Cabernet Sauvignon; lighter, more nuanced flavors lose out to the strong Spice and Fruit flavor that makes a Mulled Wine.

Why We Love National Mulled Wine Day

If you haven’t tried Mulled wine its delicious and it contains Spices, Fruit, and sometimes, more Alcohol, to enhance the flavor of the Wine, giving it that extra bit of oomph. Who can say no to a glass of that? Not, David for sure. How about you?

Did you know Mulled Wine tastes like the holidays and Winter which we love being reminded of the holiday season don’t we? Mulled Wine, with its warm Spices, takes us right back to the cold months at the end of the year.

Mulled Wine is healing and it restores not just our spirits but our bodies too. The mix of Spices is just the remedy we need to ward off illnesses during changing seasons.

Recipe for Mulled Wine:

Ingredient

2 small oranges or 1 large
1 bottle of affordable Merlot, Zinfandel or Garnacha (also called Grenache)
¼ cup brandy
1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey, to taste
2 whole cinnamon sticks
3 star anise
4 whole cloves
Optional garnishes: Fresh whole cranberries (about ¼ cup), cinnamon sticks, additional orange rounds or half moons

Instructions

To prepare the oranges, if using 2 small, slice one orange into rounds and slice the other in half. If using 1 large orange, slice it in half through the round middle, then slice one of the halves into rounds. Place the rounds into a medium heavy-bottomed pot or small Dutch oven. Squeeze the juice from the remaining oranges into the pot.
Pour the wine into the pot, followed by the brandy. Add 1 tablespoon of the sweetener for now. Add the cinnamon sticks, star anise and cloves.
Warm the mixture over medium heat until steaming (about 5 minutes), and keep an eye on it. When you start seeing the tiniest of bubbles at the surface, reduce the heat to the lowest of low.
Carefully taste, and add another tablespoon of sweetener if it’s not sweet enough for your liking. If it’s not spicy enough to suit your preferences, continue cooking over very low heat for 5 to 10 more minutes.
Serve in mugs with your desired garnishes! If you’re adding cranberries as I did, you can add them to the pot to make it look extra festive.
If you expect to polish off the mulled wine within 20 minutes or so, you can keep it on the stove over extra-low heat (it will become more spicy with time). Otherwise, remove it from the heat, cover, and rewarm over low heat if necessary. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days, covered (pour it through a strainer if you don’t want it to become any more spicy than it already is).