Glühwein, gløgg, mulled wine, hot spiced wine, call it what you like. It’s delicious!
What’s the difference between all the above? Who makes the best gluhwein on the hill? Are the packet mixes an acceptable alternative to making it from scratch? All these things sparked my interest recently when I was chatting with my friend Lou McGeehan who manages Chorki Ski Club.
Mulled wine, also known as spiced wine, is an alcoholic drink usually made with red wine, along with various mulling spices and sometimes pieces dried fruit, served hot or warm. It is a traditional drink during winter in Great Britain, Europe, and Scandinavia, especially around Christmas. In the dim dark past, people heated their mug of wine by inserting a hot poker from the fire into it. Nowadays, we’re more likely to heat it on the stove or in the microwave.
The German mulled wine features red or white wine, spices, citrus, vanilla, and sugar. It is most often made with red wine, although I discovered you can use white wine if you prefer. This warmed wine beverage has been around since at least 1420 in Germany. This is based on the discovery of a Glühwein tankard which is thought to have belonged to Count John IV of Katzenelnbogen. He was a German nobleman and was also the first grower of Riesling grapes.
Although this is the first known evidence of German Glühwein specifically, mulled wine has existed for even longer. Roman troops were known to drink warm spiced wine in the First Century CE and spread the tradition across the different regions they conquered. I mean, if you’re conquering a people, introducing them to a delicious beverage is going to be better received in the long run than the introduction of smallpox. In Scandinavian countries the drink is known as gløgg and it often includes aquavit, cardamom and dried fruit. There is even a non-alcoholic version called Kinderpunsch (so google told me).
When I was in Munich in January, I tried white Glühwein for the first time. It was nice, but it was a bit like drinking cold coffee, i.e., it did the job, but my brain kept thinking ‘there’s something not quite right about this’. All this reminiscing made me wonder where I can get a Glühwein on the hill. So, I did some investigating and am happy to report the following places can meet all your hot spiced beverage needs this winter: Astra, Chophouse, Cloud 9, Frying Pan, Huski, Lakeside, Powderkeg, Someplace Else.
I feel like with all these Glühwein options on the hill, it begs the question: who has Falls Creek’s best tasting hot spiced wine? Falls Creek Glühwein competition anyone? All I know is I’m putting Glühwein spices on my purchasing list for 2024.
Have a great week and see you in store!
Cheers, Nyree
Above Foodworks, through the public seating, through the bathroom corridor & up the short flight of stairs.