Mulled Wine Recipe (The Best Homemade Glühwein)

Rich, warming, and deeply fragrant. Our homemade mulled wine recipe takes just 20 minutes and makes your whole home smell like a Christmas market. This easy mulled wine recipe uses our Mulled Spice Tea as the spice base, so all the individual measuring is already done for you.

Mulled Wine Ingredients

The base:

• 2–3 tbsp Organic Merchant Mulled Spice Tea

• 2 cups water

• 1 × 750ml bottle of fruity organic red wine (Merlot recommended — see wine guide below)

Optional additions:

• 2–4 tbsp honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar — the most common sweeteners for balancing the flavours of wine and spices; start with less and adjust to taste

• ¼ cup brandy, orange liqueur or spiced rum

• 1 fresh orange, sliced into rounds (peel first to reduce bitterness; feel free to squeeze a little of the orange juice directly into the wine)

• Citrus slices — additional orange slices, lemon zest or orange zest for the pot or garnish

To garnish:

• Cinnamon sticks, star anise, fresh cranberries, dried cranberries, orange slices, cardamom pods, lemon zest

Why Mulled Spice Tea?
Our blend contains organic cloves, cinnamon, star anise, orange peel, juniper berry, elderberry and rosehips, a complete mulling spice kit in one step. Feel free to use it in place of individual whole spices in any mulled wine recipe you come across.

How to make Mulled Wine (Stovetop)

1. Build the spice base.
   In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine 2–3 tablespoons of Mulled Spice Tea with 2 cups of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 10 minutes. This builds a concentrated, richly flavoured spice base, the foundation of any great mulled wine recipe.

2. Add the wine.
   Pour in the 750ml of red wine. Add your chosen sweetener and brandy or orange liqueur if using. Add the fresh orange slices. Stir gently to combine. Feel free to drop in an extra cinnamon stick or star anise at this stage for presentation.

3. Warm through.
   Do not let the wine boil. Keep the heat on low and allow the mulled wine to warm through for 4–5 minutes. The wine should steam gently, never bubble. A wine boil means lost alcohol and a sharper, more bitter drink. The moment the wine shows any signs of bubbling, reduce the heat immediately.

4. Strain and serve warm.
   Strain the mulled wine into heatproof glasses or glass mugs, discarding all solids. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed. Serve warm straight away, garnished with cinnamon sticks, star anise, fresh orange slices and a festive touch of fresh cranberries if you like.

Tip: For a richer mulled wine, let the spice base simmer up to 20 minutes before adding the wine. The finished wine can then rest on very low heat for up to 3 hours, flavour only improves with time.

How to make Mulled Wine in a Slow Cooker

The slow cooker method is the best approach for a holiday party or large holiday gathering. It keeps the mulled wine at perfect drinking temperature for hours with no monitoring required.

1. Add the Mulled Spice Tea, water, red wine, sweetener and orange slices to a slow cooker or Crock Pot.

2. Set to low and heat for 1–2 hours.

3. Strain the wine to remove all solids, then return to the slow cooker on warm.

Feel free to leave the wine on the warm setting throughout your event. Guests can help themselves and the mulled wine will stay at the ideal serving temperature. Keep a ladle and heatproof glasses nearby.

Note on slow cookers: These vary significantly in what they call “low.” Keep the lid slightly ajar and check occasionally. The wine should be steaming, not simmering. If the wine starts to bubble, switch to warm immediately. A Crock Pot works equally well using the same recipe. Feel free to double or triple the quantities for a larger holiday party.

Which wine works best for Mulled Wine?

Choosing the right wine makes a real difference. Because you’re heating the wine with strong mulling spices, you need a red wine with enough fruit and body to hold its own.

Best red wines for mulled wine

• Merlot — our top recommendation for this wine recipe. Soft, dark, fruity and medium-bodied, Merlot is one of the best wines for making homemade mulled wine.

• Zinfandel — jammy and bold; one of the best mulled wine choices if you want a more full-bodied result.

• Garnacha / Grenache — naturally spicy and fruit-forward; a natural match for this style of spiced wine.

Wines to avoid

• Cabernet Sauvignon — high tannins become harsh and astringent when the wine is heated. If Cabernet Sauvignon is all you have, feel free to use it but add extra sweetener to compensate.

• Pinot Noir — too delicate; the mulling spices will overpower a Pinot Noir completely.

• Very dry wines — dry wines with high acidity can taste sharp in a mulled wine recipe; lean toward fruitier styles.

Budget and quality

You don’t need an expensive bottle for this wine recipe. A mid-range organic red wine works perfectly well. What matters is that the wine is additive-free. A quality, preservative-free wine gives you a cleaner, more rounded mulled wine than a cheap conventional bottle. Feel free to use a good-quality boxed wine for large batches, it’s one of the most practical approaches for scaling this wine recipe.

Non-Alcoholic Mulled Wine (Child-Friendly Version)

One of the best things about a homemade mulled wine recipe is how easily it becomes a non-alcoholic version, making it a genuinely inclusive festive drink for the whole table. In Germany it is known as Kinderpunsch.

Replace the red wine with any of the following:

• Red grape juice — the most convincing non alcoholic red wine substitute; closest in colour, body and fruit character.

• Pomegranate juice — rich, dark, and slightly tart; pairs beautifully with star anise and cinnamon sticks.

• Cranberry juice — sharper in flavour; feel free to blend it with apple juice to balance the tartness.

• Apple cider — naturally sweet and lighter; lovely with cloves, cinnamon and orange slices, and the most kid-friendly base of all.

Follow the same recipe exactly: simmer the spice base first, add your juice of choice, warm through gently on low heat, strain and serve warm in heatproof glasses. Sweeten with honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar to taste.

This is a delicious drink in its own right, not a consolation prize. Garnish identically to the alcoholic version and serve in the same glass mugs. No one at the table will feel like they’re missing out and it works just as well as one of the best holiday drink recipes for a mixed-age holiday gathering.

Mulled Wine Variations

Once you’ve mastered the classic mulled wine recipe, feel free to explore these variations. All use the same base method:

 

Apple Cider Mulled Wine

Replace half the red wine with apple cider. The cider adds natural sweetness and depth, and the combination of cinnamon sticks, cloves, cinnamon, star anise and fresh orange slices with apple cider is exceptional on a cold night. Add fresh cranberries to the pot a few minutes before straining for a festive touch. One of our favourite holiday drink recipes for festive entertaining, crowd-pleasing and endlessly adaptable.

 

White Mulled Wine

Use a dry white wine — e.g. Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay — in place of red wine. Add lemon zest, orange zest and a few cardamom pods. Lighter in colour and more floral in character than a classic mulled wine, this is a great recipe for white wine lovers. Feel free to add fresh ginger slices to the spice base for extra warmth.

 

Mulled Rosé

A dry rosé wine mulled with grapefruit slices in place of orange slices, cinnamon sticks and star anise, sweetened with honey or maple syrup. The result is a delicate pink spiced wine with a lighter, more floral character. One of the more unexpected but genuinely delicious mulled wine recipe variations.

 

Nordic Glögg

Combine red wine with a generous splash of port wine and a shot of aquavit or vodka. Add blanched almonds and raisins to each glass when serving. This is the Scandinavian take on the classic mulled wine recipe, richer and more full-bodied than the standard version.

 

Chai Tea Bag Version

If you don’t have our Mulled Spice Tea on hand, feel free to steep 2–3 chai tea bags in the hot water in place of the spice blend. A good chai tea bag contains cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and ginger, a very workable base for this mulled wine recipe when you need a quick solution. It is not quite right, but close enough and delicious nonetheless.

 

Extra Spice

Feel free to add cardamom pods, fresh ginger slices, black pepper, or even a small pinch of chilli flakes to the spice base for extra complexity. Ground spices can be used in a pinch, but whole spices are always preferable. They give you a clearer, more beautifully flavoured wine.

Serving Suggestions

Mulled wine is always served warm in heatproof glasses or ceramic mugs. Regular wine glasses are not suitable as the heat will crack them. For a holiday party or holiday gathering, keep the pot on the lowest possible heat or transfer to a slow cooker on the warm setting so guests can help themselves. This makes it one of the easiest and most impressive favourite holiday drink recipes for entertaining. It essentially looks after itself while you host.

Garnish ideas:

• Cinnamon sticks resting across the rim of the mug.

• Star anise floating on the surface.

• Orange slices or additional orange slices tucked into the mug.

• Fresh cranberries or dried cranberries for a festive touch.

• A twist of orange zest or lemon zest over the glass.

• Cardamom pods as a subtle garnish for white mulled wine or mulled rosé.

This warm spiced wine pairs beautifully with sweet treats like mince pies, spiced nuts, shortbread and dark chocolate. All the classic accompaniments for the holiday season.

Storage and Reheating

Leftover mulled wine stores beautifully. Cool completely, strain out all solids and pour into an airtight container or sealed bottle. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.

To reheat, warm the wine gently in a large saucepan over low heat until steaming. Do not allow the wine to reach a rolling boil. The flavour of mulled wine often deepens overnight, making leftover wine even more delicious than it was on day one. Feel free to add a fresh cinnamon stick or star anise when reheating to revive the aroma.

Mulled wine does not freeze well. The spice flavours become dull and muddy after freezing.

Scaling for a Holiday Party

This mulled wine recipe serves 4–6 from one 750ml bottle of wine. For larger gatherings:

For a large holiday party of 25 or more, the slow cooker method is the most practical. Make the mulled wine in two batches, combine in the slow cooker on warm and let guests serve themselves. The same recipe scales reliably. Keep the ratios consistent and taste and adjust sweetness at the end.

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