Today is international mulled wine day. Never heard of it? Me neither, but it did get me thinking on the history of mulled wine. It seems nearly all Northern European cultures have a form of mulled wine, gluhwein, glögg, kuhano vino, greyano vino, vin chaud to name but a few. Mulling, or heating and spicing wine has been around for two millenia give or take a few centuries. The first recorded mention of mulled or heated wine is found in the 2nd century B.C. in a play by Roman playwright Titus Macius Plautus, The Weevil or Curculio . The Romans would heat wine in the sun to continue fermentation or to thicken the wine for storage and transportation. Then water the wine down with old wine and/or sea water to balance the acidity and then add enriching spices to make a palatable drink. The great Greek physician, Galen also mentions heating wine as a tonic for curing many ailments around the same time, coincidence? The first mention of it in the UK, where it is commonly and possibly only dr...
Thoughts, advice and recommendations on wine from an everyday wine enthusiast