Christina’s Mulled Wine Recipe
It’s the holidays and what better way to to make your home smell like it than with some Mulled Wine!
Below is Christina’s recipe. We suggest pairing it with friends by the fireplace and a tasty charcuterie plate.
4 cups apple cider (or can use apple juice if you want it a little sweeter)
1 bottle of red wine (suggest cabernet, merlot, or a blend of both)
1 tablespoon – 1/4 cup of honey (depends on your sweet tooth)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 orange – juiced and zested
4 whole cloves
2-3 stars of anise (do to taste)
orange peels/wedges for garnish
Add the apple cider/juice, wine, cinnamon sticks, orange zest, orange juice, and cloves to a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add stars of anise and honey to taste. Let it simmer for 8-10 minutes. Pour into mugs, add an orange peel/wedge for garnish, and enjoy!
Happy Holidays Winemakers!
Baklava and Wine Pairing
Who doesn’t love a good piece of baklava with a nice wine pairing?
What’s that? You’ve never eaten baklava while drinking wine? Looks like you’re in for a treat! (Literally.)
Especially around this time of year when we get to enjoy so much delicious cooking, a sweet, honey-laden piece of baklava is arguably the perfect way to conclude a meal.
Interested in making your own? While there are a million ways to make it, this is one of the most straight forward recipes to follow. You can always mix and match with other recipes as well. For example, some Turkish recipes call for including pistachios, and some Greek recipes include finely ground almonds to be included within the walnut mixture to aid in binding the nut mixture together (it works like a charm)!
Don’t mind if I do!
Because baklava is so sweet and has an intense honey flavor, try finding a wine that will meet it at this point of heavy sweetness, but able to stand up to the dessert through cutting through with the wine’s natural acidity. This could be:
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Sauternes from the Bordeaux region of France. This is one of the most important and famous sweet wine regions.
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Ice wine. You can find producers from Germany, Austria, the northern USA and Canada who make wine in this interesting and unique method.
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Muscat from Samos, Greece. These rich-hued orange-amber colored wines are like drinking a liquid form of baklava. Apple, pear, apricot, honey, and sweet spice flavors are to thank for this delicious wine.
Or go another route and choose a dry style wine if you don’t have a big enough sweet tooth for a sweet wine and a sweet dessert at the same time. These options could be:
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Chardonnay. Whether you choose new world or old world Chardonnay for this pairing, make sure it’s been aged in oak, notably American oak (most commonly associated with new world Chardonnays). This added layer of associated creaminess will lend to smooth, approachable drinking with such a sweet after-dinner treat.
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Champagne. The holidays are a time for celebrating and finally opening up that wine you’ve been saving. So pop open that bubbly and get partying!
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