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Red wine is simmered low and slow with aromatic spices and a combination of orange and cranberry juices to create this beautifully spiced Homemade Mulled Wine. This is the perfect cocktail to warm you up when the weather gets cooler.
Serve this mulled wine at holiday meals or at cocktail parties alongside Baked Brie, Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, Antipasto Skewers, and Bacon Wrapped Dates, for the ultimate spread.
While it is easy to purchase mulling spices for wine, it is much cheaper and much more delicious to make your own. Plus, you can control the quality of the ingredients and the amount of added sugar when making your own mulling spices.
This mulled wine recipe results in a wine laced with notes of orange, cranberry, cinnamon, and cloves. It is perfectly spiced and warms you to the core.
Ingredients Needed
- Red Wine: Any dry red wine, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, or a Red Blend, works well. When you are mulling wine, choose a wine you enjoy drinking. But you don't need to break the bank. Since this wine will be infused with other flavors, it is a great time to use a less expensive bottle.
- Spices: I love to use a combination of cinnamon sticks, cloves, and allspice berries. Star anise is also a very common spice used to flavor mulled wine, so feel free to add it to the blend. Personally, I find it overwhelms the wine's flavor.
- Juice: To add complexity and a bit of sweetness without adding sugar to the wine, I love adding orange juice and cranberry juice. Just be sure to use 100% juice blends for the best flavor.
- Orange and Cranberries: For color and additional flavor, you can add a sliced orange and fresh cranberries to the wine as it mulls, but this is completely optional.
How to Make Mulled Wine
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prepare Spices. To make it easy to remove the whole spices from the wine, I like to place them on a piece of cheesecloth or an unfiltered coffee filter and tie them with butcher's twine.
- Simmer. The trick to mulling any beverage is to do so over low heat so you don't evaporate the wine or alcohol, yet still impart the flavors of the spices you choose. You can do this on the stove over low heat or in a crockpot over low heat.
- Strain. Before serving the mulled wine, remove the sachet of mulling spices and strain off the cranberries and orange slices. Alternatively, you can serve the wine with cranberries for added texture.
- Serve Warm or Cold. When entertaining guests, you can serve the mulled wine chilled or warm. To serve warm, prepare the mulled wine using the slow cooker. Once prepared, set the slow cooker to warm to keep the wine warm for hours.
More Delicious Beverages
- Homemade Hot Chocolate
- Slow Cooker Mulled Cider
- Homemade Eggnog
- Easy Homemade Latte
- Homemade Spiced Tea
If you enjoyed this mulled wine, I would love for you to leave a review and comment below!
Mulled Wine
Video
Ingredients
- 750 ml dry red wine
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup cranberry juice
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 4 whole cloves
- 3 allspice berries
- 2 star anise, optional
- 1 sliced orange, optional
- ½ cup cranberries, optional
Instructions
Prepare Spices
- Place cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, and star anise on a piece of cheesecloth or an unfiltered coffee filter. Tie the bundle up using butcher's twine.
Stove Top Directions
- Add the wine, orange juice, and cranberry juice to a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the spices, sliced oranges, and cranberries (if using). Cook over low heat until just warm, about 20 minutes. Do not bring to a boil. Instead, just simmer over low heat. After warming, discard whole spices and serve warm or chill and serve cold.
Slow Cooker Directions
- Add the wine, orange juice, and cranberry juice to the slow cooker. Add the spices, sliced oranges, and cranberries (if using). Cover and cook on low heat until just warm--about 1 hour. Discard spices. Serve or keep on warm for people to help themselves at a gathering.
Notes
- Select a dry, inexpensive red wine. This is not the time to use an expensive bottle of wine. I like to use a Cabernet, Merlot, or red blend.
- You can place the whole spices directly in the wine instead of using cheesecloth or coffee filter, just strain before serving.
- Be sure to use 100% Cranberry Juice and 100% Orange Juice, so that the cranberry orange flavor is optimum.
- I love the flavor that the oranges and cranberries add, but feel free to omit one or both. You can also opt to use them and strain before serving.
- Refrigerate leftover mulled wine for up to 3 days and warm again before serving.
- Entertaining Tip: When entertaining guests, prepare the mulled wine using the slow cooker. That way you can keep the mulled wine on the warm setting while guests help themselves.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Not only tasted delicious, but smells so good too. I used the slow cooker method. Couldn't be any easier.
Isn't the smell incredible? So glad you enjoyed Sandra!
This is the perfect wine recipe for the holiday season!
So glad you enjoyed!
I am going to be making this for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Thank you!!
I hope you enjoy Tasha!
Can this be made up ahead of time and frozen then returned to slow cooker for when you want it?
Yes, up to 4-5 days. Enjoy!
This Mulled Wine is so warm and comforting! It will be perfect for serving at parties this holiday season!
Yes Christine--it is a great addition to any holiday party!
Loving this mulled wine! Adding it to my Thanksgiving dinner plans!
Your guests will be so happy 🙂