Mulled White Wine
February has been teasing me. I look out the window to see brilliant blue skies and sun streaming in, only to find 30 minutes later when I’m out without appropriate winter weather gear, the grey has taken over again. I don’t really mind. It’s just little tastes of things to come… not quite winter and not quite spring. It still feels lovely to curl up next to the fire, but there are moments of basking in the sun on the deck. Which puts me in the mind of a little sip from both seasons. I love the scent and piquant of red mulled wine in the heart of winter, as well as a fresh fruity white wine sangria in May. What could be more fitting than to combine the two, for a spicy mulled white wine, that can be served hot or cold, whatever the moment required?
Mulled wine calls for playing with the spices you use to fit the flavors of the wine. I chose a Pinot Gris to mull, and complimented it’s fresh pear and honey tones, I decided to add a bit of heat with a combination of black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and fresh mandarins. The combination was delightful if a bit on the sweet side. Fresh thyme, sage or rosemary make great additions to white wine as well, although go lightly with each or you’ll end up overwhelming the palate. You’ll also want to play with the amount of sugar, based upon the sweetness of the wine. Sweeter Rieslings, for example, are quite nice mulled, but require a bit less than the drier Pinot Gris.
Mulled White Wine
makes 3 to 4 cups hot, or a few more over ice
1/4 cup sugar
2 T honey
thick-cut zest from one orange
1 stick cinnamon
4 to 6 cardamom pods
1 t whole black peppercorns
3 cups white wine, such as Pinot Gris or Riesling
mandarin orange slices for garnish
Combine the sugar, honey, orange zest, cinnamon, cardamom and peppercorns in a heavy bottom pot, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the wine, and simmer for 10 minutes more. Strain.
If serving hot, garnish with a cinnamon stick and slice of orange and serve immediately.
If serving chilled, place in a covered container and chill for at least 1 hour. Serve with freshly sliced oranges over ice.
For more more mulled white wine recipes see the December edition of Mixology Monday, hosted here on The Spirit World.
