Get Mulled This Week
Growing up in Hastings in the early 90s, getting ‘mulled’ meant something entirely different to warming up a pot of wine. While pot may have been involved in some way, it’s a far cry from fast forwarding a decade or two and whipping up a batch of something warm, delicious and alcoholic to offer to friends who decide to drop by this weekend simply because you’ve got a half-decent fireplace, a fridge full of nice cheese and NetFlix. Instead of feeling obliged to open bottles of your prized and rather pricey red wine, you can still slake their thirsts by doing something rather superb with a classy cask of Veluto Rosso or those cleanskins you’ve hidden out in the shed. There’s no denying this past winter has broken records in the frostiness stakes, however a glass of mulled wine will do wonders for cracking the cold. Plus it’s been known to soothe the throat, clear the nose and settle the intestines. The history of mulled wines date back to medieval times where wines were named Ypocras or Hipocris after the physician Hippocrates. Mulled wine was thought to be extremely healthy; hardly surprising considering the drinking water at the time was seriously less than sanitary. These heated, alcoholic drinks helped sustain human health through the cold winter months and probably helped them forget how miserable medieval times actually were.
I’ve included my favourite mulled wine recipe but to start, here are some mulled wine rules:
1. Any red wine will do, but don’t spend much money because you’re going to change the taste considerably. As long as the wine has good, fruity characters and a nice, spicy body to it then it will be perfect for mulling. I like to use shiraz, merlot’s, and Spanish tempranillo’s.
2. Never let the wine boil. If it’s boiled, it’s spoiled. The flavour of the wine/spice combination will deteriorate if the mixture reaches boiling point, so keep an eye on things. If it cools down and you want another glass, just pop your glass in the microwave for 20 seconds or so just to heat it through.
So here’s the recipe:
Mulled Wine (serves 4 grownups)
2 lemons
2 oranges
2 x bottles of red wine
½ teaspoon nutmeg
5 x cloves
½ cup brandy or cognac
1/2 cup brown sugar
herbal or citrus tea (if you feel so inclined)
water (to dilute if it’s too strong)
4 x large cinnamon sticks 1 x cup orange juic
- cut oranges + lemons into slices
- pour the red wine & orange juice into a saucepan and gently heat
- while heating, add fruit, nutmeg, cloves and brandy and cinnamon sticks
- keep and eye on the mixture and wait until it becomes hot to the touch
- at this point you could blend in the sugar and adjust the taste with water or tea if need be.
So there you have it – have a go at making mulled wine; it will surely warm the cockles. But if you can’t stand the idea of ‘cooking’ your wine don’t worry, I’ve tried a couple of fantastic wines this week that just might suit you better.
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Graham Norton’s Own Shiraz 2017 $18.99 (4.5stars)
So our favourite Irish tv personality has teamed up with two kiwi guys from Invivo wines to produce a shiraz from South Australia – how’s that for multinational relations! This is a bonza little bottle that’s deliciously spicy and saturated with blackcurrant and plum flavours and fleshed out with muscular, yet woolly tannins. A bit like Hugh Jackman in a cardigan I guess.
www.glengarrywines.co.nz
Baron Philippe De Rothschild Mapu Merlot 2015 $20.50 (3.5stars)
This is a moreish little merlot from Rothschild’s Chilean wine operation that hits the quaffable spot. Savoury, roasting pan juices, pepper and baked plum and berry flavours combine with grippy, dusty tannins and a lengthy, leathery finish. Nice and meaty – classic South American characters here.
www.kahurangiwine.com
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I can literally smell Spring is just around the corner and it can’t come fast enough! I’m prepping for the sun with these snazzy sauvignon blanc’s…
Beach House Reserve Hawke’s Bay Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $25 (4 stars)
If the thought of oak in your sauvignon blanc sends you into a spin, don’t fret. Chris Harrison at Hawke’s Bay’s Beach House wines has mastered the art of subtlety, so you get a whiff of freshly-baled hay and toast wrapping itself around white peach, lemongrass and lime loveliness. It’s ultra-long on flavour and a fabulous food wine. Very tasty indeed!
www.beachhouse.co.nz
Pretty Paddock Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $10.99 (3 stars)
Classic punchy passionfruit, crushed herbs, green capsicum and pea pod flavours are all crammed into this bottle alongside gum-numbing acidity and long, prickly-fresh length of flavour. A squeak of white pepper and a lick of lemongrass makes this a good little ‘after work’ quaffer.
www.vineonline
Framingham Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $21(4 stars)
Tangy and seriously grassy, this sauvignon has buckets of basil, tomato leaf and capsicum characters all bouncing out of the glass. Herbaceous and heaving with tangy, lemongrass and lime layers. It’s less sweet and more along the zesty, white fruits spectrum than a lot of Marlborough sauvignon out there. I really like it.
www.framingham.co.nz
