Recipe: Glühwein, mulled wine for Christmas and wintertime (and a bit about Christmas markets in Europe)

Hi there. I'm from Ireland and found this site while hunting down recipes for mulled wines. Yours sound delicious! I will leave you more feedback soon as I try it out... actually I'm now thinking to have a stall at our Irish markets with this myself.. can I ask you how would you serve the warm wine to people on the street??

Hello!
Here in New England I have been making mulled wine (and mulled cider both alcoholic and nonalcoholic) for years now. I have found that using a slow cooker or crock pot really helps. The crock pot can be left heating at the table without taking up valuable stove top space. What a wonderful smell that fills the house with a spicy vapor.
Thanks for such a wonderful blog!

I am from the US and visited Germany a couple of years ago where I first tasted Gluhwein. It was a welcome drink to a cold frosty evening in Munster. Thank you for the information provided here as well as the comments from others as I plan on making this for the holidays.

Happy Holidays!

Does it matter if you use a dry red wine or a sweet red wine for Gluhwein? I don't like dry red wines but i love sweet reds.

Are bay leaves completely necessary for the flavor?
May I substitute oranges for the lemon?
I'm trying this for a 40+ person party Monday night! Yum.

My husband and I moved to Nuremberg in May, and I'm enjoying my first real winter here (my husband's from Nuremberg). We've been to the Nuremberg market three times, and to the Lauf and Rothenburg markets once each. The markets are fun, way better at night than during the day--we walked around, took pictures, pointed at things. It's really just a feast for the eyes, more than anything else; other than food, we didn't buy anything. All three versions of the gluhwein--the regular red, heidelbeer, and kirsch--and the kinderpunsch, are good, but I have to say that my favorite was heidelbeer. If you have some blueberry syrup or liquer, definitely add a bit to your gluhwein!

Merry Christmas maki! Thanks for all your wonderful posts!

We make it with orange instead of lemon (and without the cardamon/bay, although that does sound interesting!) - it is important to let it simmer for ages, though! Lots of people seem to want to get it hot then serve it on the spot.

Anyway, I came to say I used your Easter brunch idea for a Christmas eve brunch!

http://www.fotonomy.com/sylvia/photo/32a91a6d/

Just a little note to say thank you for sharing this recipe! I made it last night to serve at our mid winter Christmas (we are in New Zealand) and it was very much enjoyed by all... And we will definitely be making some again this Winter!
Thanks again, Emily.

I want to make gluhwein for my wedding favors since my wedding is in December, but I'm worried about how long it will keep and how to bottle it. Any ideas??

Hi from Germany!

I love your blog and was quite irritated to find an "ü" on this page... ^^

What I can strongly recommend about Glühwein is not to use a red wine, but take a blueberry wine or cherry wine if you can get one. Syrup doesn´t do the trick. Real Fruitwine outrivals any artifical flavor.
Star-anis (one) also makes a nice flavour for Glühwein.

Oh gosh, isn't that a picture of your mom? It's so adorable. It reminds me a lot of my mom, even though my mom is a native Minnesotan white lady. They could probably share sweaters.

My daughter took me to the market downtown on Daly Plaza. amazing! not only German goods, but vendors from Ukraine, Russia, Poland, and even South America.
Bratwurst, Kartoffelsalat, and Gluhwein.
Yummy!
Cuckoo clocks, too!

Glad to see the Strasbourg market is one of your favourites! It's my part time home, so somehow I manage to justify a mini swell of pride reading that, hehe.
I love walking around the Christmas markets wherever possible, but only get frustrated with the amount of people in my adopted hometown. Strange, that.
Either way, thanks for another great post, older nonwithstanding. :)

thanks a lot, it's really helpful.

watched a show on HGTV about Cristmas towns here in the US. Leavenworth, Washington state has a strong German influence and gluhwein was mentioned but no recipe given. Thank goodness for search engines since I was trying to spell it " gluevine" no luck there! I'll try your recipe for Christmas Day luncheon. Many thanks

I just tried making some glühwein in the slow cooker I have at home - and although it doesn't snow in Singapore, right about December it gets pretty rainy and hence rather cool, and this is a fantastic drink for the weather and season. Thanks a lot, Maki!

this mulled wine recipe was delicious! i doubled the recipe and to serve some friends who were coming over, but two bottles still only served about one mug for five people. maybe you could double it still to serve more people? anyway, turned out very nicely except there aren't any cardomom pods in my area, so i just added an extra cinnamon stick instead, and i didn't double the sugar because it seemed like a lot of sugar to put in. absolutely delicious! thanks for the recipe!!

I visited Berlin for the first time about a month ago, and one of the best things (besides the Christmas markets) was the gluhwein! When I got home, I searched for recipes, and voila! here you are! I really enjoyed your recipe - I think the addition of bay leaves is very unique. My husband (Japanese) loved the real thing, and thought my version was too strong - truly, I have seen other recipes that add water. Do you ever add water to yours, especially since it steeps over heat for such a long time? Just curious... I think now that I should have covered the pot, but didn't think to do so. At any rate, my father found bottled gluhwein at a shop in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and my husband insists that it is the same as what we had in Berlin (it isn't, this stuff comes from Koblenz). Whew! Sorry for such a long post - just wanted to say I really love your site, you have such a fantastic mix of recipes!

I look forward to the Weinnachtsmärkte every year (they're mostly just called Christkindlemärkte in Bavaria). Here in Berlin we have several markets, and the quality of the Glühwein is fairly proportional to the quality of each market.

In the ghetto kitchy markets like the one on Kudamm and maybe parts of the Stastsoper market, you can expect to find the sticky sweet bottled stuff (which is... um... not recommended) and lots of the cheap fruit wine version with berries and loads of sugar in it (you will have a headache for 24 hours).

But at the hoity-toity ones at Schloss Charlottenburg or Gendarmenmarkt, you can find super tasty versions with regular wine, fruit wine, whatever you want, homemade and with more delicate flavors. Plus the shopping is worlds better, with cuter stands and better service (generally). But the ghetto kitchy ones are fun, too.

I am a bit confused. I have been living for a few years in Berlin and I really think the name for a Christmas market is "Weinachtsmarkt." Is that a regional difference?

Anyway thanks so much for the recipe!

My husband and I were just reliving memories of our time living and working in Munchen. We arrived in Aug 1989 and stayed for three years. My all time favorite was the Kristkindlmarkt am Marienplatz, the hot gluhwein, and warm, freshly made cinnamon doughnuts. I immediately went searching for a recipe and found yours. Have decided to prepare a large batch and gift bottles to my neighbors so they can experience the delectable taste. But the majority for myself! Thank you for posting this on-line.

lol. Mulled wine reminds me of my HP days ;( I believe it was hagrid who drank it? ^___^ anyway the Zigerkrapfen look delicious! and the angel children look so cute <3 as well as everything else.

While I made glühwein last year, I probably won't be doing so this year, since I don't have a crock pot on hand and dormitory kitchens aren't the friendliest places to be around - I did find bottles of blueberry and cherry glühwein at the nearest Carrefour; bought a bottle of the blueberry one, and it'll be a delicious treat warmed up when the weather hits 0 at night later this week.

And I'm really sorry to hear about your mother. All the best to her, and may she recover soon!

Thanks for this write up, and I hope your mom gets better soon!! She's such a nice, cheerful looking person and I like her guest posts.

I was recently in Paris (an opportunity arose) and made it over to Workshop Isse (as per your post) and even met Pikachan (although I think she was kind of scared of me, but the lady in the shop said she's sort of scared in general)! I brought some soy sauce (14 euros, but I'm sure it'll be good) and a rice paddle. I also made it to two of the Christmas Markets which were selling Vin Chard/Glühwein as well.

We also have a very large Christmas market here in London, which now surpasses any Weihnachtsmarkt found in Germany. It seems a good opportunity to get your pocket picked, or have small children wipe their ketchup or candy floss-stained hands on your jacket, so I only gave it a cursory walk-through one Sunday morning, when it was still fairly quiet. At home, however, we do make our own mulled wine, which is always a great success.

Oh, and most of the stalls come straight from Germany, as does pretty much all of the food. No doubt they're making better business in London, but I do wonder which German towns are now missing their Christmas markets...

Hi,

Had some fantastic Gluhwein in Bruge recently, especially nice whens its very cold!

Scott

In re: "the apple juice of that name sold in North America)" -- if you believe that North American fresh cider is "apple juice", you've never drunk either one.

Lovely article you wrote about the christmas markets in Switzerland and you are absolutly right, if you're afraid of crowds NEVER visit the Christkindlmarkt in Nürnberg but for everyone else it's fun.
But as a German girl, I'll have to tell you that christmas markets are called "Weihnachtsmarkt", only the one in Nürnberg is called Christkindlmarkt, it's a special term like the one for the christmas market in Dresden is "Striezelmarkt". Other truly beautiful ones are in Quedlinburg and Goslar(Harz mountains) because of their truly medieval setting.
Oh, and Glühwein has to be made of wine - be it grape wine or other fruitwine - otherwise it's not Glühwein, but maybe Met(honeywine) or Grog(a shot with water and sugar). The abomination that is Jägermeister is actually not really a typical German winterdrink- could it be that Jagertee?

Thank you. I had been looking for a recipe for Gluhwein and your blog entry caught my eye.
My husband had been stationed in Germany 20 years ago and had wistfully mentioned Gluhwein a few years ago. A friend was able to get a bottle of it for us (similar to the ones at the stand in the shot of your mother enjoying a mug). We had if for Christmas evening and enjoy it very much. I really wanted to have some to celebrate the new year, but figured I would not be able to find another bottle of it.
I think this will be a lovely surprise for him.

Thank you again for sharing the recipe.

I hope your mother is on the mend.

I just bought a German spiced wine and it is DELICIOUS! I prefer it warm. It seems to get very tart when it's cold.

I'm thinking about reducing some and having it with a pork roast.

The huge pot sure looks impressive! I wonder why they have to be that big?!

Thanks for sharing your recipe and your wonderful pictures! I'm glad you explained about the ChristKindlMarkts! It's really great information!

My husband and I were recently in Germany and France for our first time. We were able to visit six different cities and their Christmas Markets. We enjoyed sampling the Gluhweins and collected the souvenir Christmas mugs from each market.

Since the weather was in the 20's, it was wonderful to hold the hot mug in my hands and to breath in the delicious aroma of the gluhwein as I walked around the festive markets.

You're right! There are subtle differences in the Gluhweins in different cities and regions. I'm excited to try your recipe! (I would have never thought of bay leaves being added.) Thanks again for sharing it!

Your mom looks so cute in the picture! Blessings of healing to her! I hope she's feeling better now!

W. N.

I love reading your posts.
Question: With what type of Digital SLR + lens did you take that picture of The bubbling vin chaud?
Thanks

Hi, From South Africa. We have the Soccer World Cup here at the moment and every Friday a couple of people in the offices get choose a country and then make some traditional food and drinks from that specific country. We are doing Germany tomorrow and I think they gonna love this gluhwein. At home we make some gluhwein every winter and enjoying it.

i really like them too, but there is one i really have to praise. it's the seiffener weihnachtsmarkt. Seiffen is a small village on the eastern border of germany in the erzgebirge and it has the most authentic weihnachtsmarkt i've seen. no weihnachtsmarkt in a city can compare to atmosphere of this lovely gem.
As a spa village with a history in mining and a tradition for wood carving everything feels so authentic, snuggly and warm (altough it is freezing cold in the mountains ^^).

http://www.seiffen.de/index_3.cfm

wow!... Such a very lovely pic...Awesome Christmas markets in Europe..

I lived in Germany for 3 years as a military spouse and went to many different christmas markets. I was so excited to see your pictures because they brought back some wonderful memeories (you have a picture of our favorite glass ornament booth!) Your recipe seems closest to the markt versions that my husband and I love. Thanks for putting it out there!

We just visited Europe, specifically to see the Christmas markets and sample Gluehwein, and the one in Budapest was heavenly...I don't see it mentioned here. We cruised from Budapest on the Danube and the Main-Danube Canal to Nuernberg...and visited the Budapest, Vienna, Regensburg, Passau, and Nuernberg markets...we really love the Munich one, but did not have time. Budapest was very nice, and very much like the ones in Germany and Austria...apparently this is spreading. My recipe for "Glur" as our friend calls it is minus the Bay and the nutmeg...add water, and I always use the cheapest "red" wine..even the box stuff, and maybe Lambrusco or Cold Duck...and it has gotten rave reviews...we cobbled together a recipe from several online years ago..and it works.

I've been to the German market in London and trust me, it is not a patch on any of the markets in Germany. My wife and I went to the Cologne markets for the first time in Dec 2010 and we loved them. Especially liked the gluhwein so much in the freezing temperatures. Now she makes it at home for me!
Seeing all those photos brings back lovely memories for us.
Now she wants to make some after seeing them...haha!

Hi, deeply appreciate your recipe of glühwein and sharing~ we will have a small party of Nederland-alumni-association in Taiwan in 26th. this month and i plan to make it for 20~ people, it probably will be done again in another party around March if i make it right!
And may I share the pictures to you after that party?..i can imagine they'll be reminding of the passed studying day in Europe, tearing with pleasure of enjoying the spicy flavor of it~~~Ha!

Great recipe, thanks. :)
Stayed at the Hotel Rappen in Rothenburg during last winter and they also brew an excellent "hand made" Glühwein for their guests. Can highly recommend this place: http://www.hotel-rappen-rothenburg.com

Greetings - winter here and very cold ( for us that is ) people coming for dinner and Gluehwein on the agenda - Looking at your pages - are there Gluehweinstalls on the markets??

that would be fun

Schusss

I am on the way to prepare myself for "Advent". Glühwein I have made yesterday. I enjoyed the photos in this post. The one with the Lebkuchen lets me think of making Christmas cookies. Soon the Christmas Markets will open and I am looking forward to it. Greetings from Vienna, Austria.

Tried this last night and thought it was just like how I remembered it at the Frankfurt Christmas market a couple years back. Thanks for sharin! I think the bay leaves and cardamon gives it the complexity that makes it so good. I used a California merlot.

The added sugar seem to make it really sticky and a little sweeter than I would normally want. I am going to try less sugar and maybe add some juice.

I expect to make this several more times during the holidays!

Yup, it's that time of the year again! I live in Zuerich so I know what you are talking about! I love X'mas in Europe, the feeling is very cozy and very festive. I much prefer this atmosphere then the one I experienced in Asia (I'm Chinese Canadian, by the way). I love glühwein and I love your blog! Just discovered it recently when I look for correct way of cooking soba noodles.

Liebe Grüße!

While stationed in Germany in the 50's a family I knew made Gluhwein this way An old German recipe.
one bottle of red table wine {on the sweeter side}---one half cup of sugar--one half teaspoon of cinnamon or two cinnamon pods---four tablespoons of honey---Juice of one small lemon---one half dozen cloves---heat & stir till quite hot & all ingredients are dissolved but absolutely do not boil as the alcohol will evaporate---Strain & pour into a warm mug. Then you can sniff this as you sip on this delicious drink. The Germans gave this to their children {smaller amounts}as well as a remedy for colds and flu's. It surely hits the spot an a cold winters day believe me. Once you try this I'm sure you will try it again and again on those cold wintry days as it truly gives you a lift.

Re: cider, at least where I am in New England, alcoholic ("hard") cider is fairly popular still.

I made the Gluhwein at my Christmas party and it was a big hit! I was recently in Switzerland and travelled around to many of the Christmas markets. It was such a treat to have a warm cup of Gluhwein to walk around with and get into the Christmas spirit. I must say that this version was the closest out all the receipes I tried.

It was such a hit that I am still being asked to bring the stuff to make Gluhwein at dinner parties in Jan/Feb.

Thank you!

Hi there, we have just celebrated Christmas in July in sydney, Australia
My friend made the best mulled wine / gluhwien and there is
About a litre left over. I've poured it into a glass container and would like to drink it in our snowfields in a couple of weeks. Do I put it in the refrigerator till then? Or just keep it out in a cool spot in the kitchen ? To re heat can I place cup of gluhwien in the microwave ?
It just seems like the right place to drink it in the snow!
Cheers
Fabienne

Thank you for this recipe. This is the second year that I've used it and it was a big hit both times. Everyone wanted refills. Delicious! My mother was from Germany, so I especially appreciate your help in carrying on the tradition.

Hi Maki-san,
We made your gluhwein recipe yesterday for Christmas eve, it was delicious! Thank you for sharing this post and I hope you continue to do well.

Hi I am from Australia and my husband and I had a most wonderful holiday in Germany last year. I loved the wine in that country and particular the Gluhwein which i had never tasted before. Congratulations on your blog it is very informative and had me wishing i was in Germany again and away from the stifling christmas heat here in Australia and enjoying the lovely spiced wine.
Cheers Susan