Warm-up the Holidays with Mulled Wine – Vin Chaud
Let’s Eat the World · Provencal Recipes · Taste · Wines and Spirits of ProvenceWhat’s a Christmas market in France be without some mulled wine? In fact, what is winter without mulled wine? As one of our followers pointed out, it also adds such a delicious smell to your house. Enjoy (in moderation of course). The advantage of making it yourself is that you can determine the degree of sweetness.
To get you in the mood: Christmas Holiday Traditions in Provence and the Cote d’Azur.
Read about: Christmas Traditions and the Markets of Provence
Discover: Provencal Christmas Traditions: What is a bûche de Noël?

Mulled Wine (Vin Chaud)
The prepared mulled wine can be stored in the fridge for 5 days. To save time you can buy dried citrus peel, but we prefer to make our own. The recipe will make 4-6 glasses.
Ingredients
- 2 Organic Oranges
- 1 Organic Lemon
- 250 g (8.8 oz) light brown sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 3 cloves
- a pinch of nutmeg
- 1 bottle red wine full-bodied, like a Côte du Rhône
Instructions
- Wash your oranges and lemon. Peel the skins off trying to avoid as much of the pith as possible, otherwise you will end up with a bitter flavour.
- To dry the citrus peels: You can either dry the peels out over 5-7 days keeping them uncovered but away from dust or for a faster drying method: pre-heat your oven to 100ºC (220ºF roughly) and place the peels on a baking dish and let bake for 30 minutes. The result will be a dry, breakable peel.
- Pour a bottle of red wine into a pot. Bring to a boil and then add the dried citrus peels, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and nutmeg.
- Let the wine and spices simmer for 15 mins.
- Remove from heat and allow to infuse for 20 mins. Strain and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
*Cooking time does not include the time to dry the citrus peels.Gift idea: You can place the dry ingredients in a jar to store for later use or to give as a gift along with a bottle of wine and the instructions for preparation steps 3 to 4.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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