A Winter Cup of Spiced Wine

HOLIDAY SPICED WINE

— Vin chaud aux épices de fête

A candlelit classic for cold December nights, Holiday Spiced Wine is gently warmed with citrus, cinnamon, and winter spices until fragrant and comforting. Meant for slow sipping and shared moments, it fills the kitchen with warmth and the air with nostalgia — the kind of drink poured when the lights are low and the evening stretches on. From The Gilded Table: December Edition.

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Notes ✨
Warm gently — never boil — to preserve the wine’s depth and keep the flavor smooth. Sweeten to taste with honey, sugar, or a splash of orange liqueur for a festive finish. This spiced wine may also be enjoyed chilled or over ice, making it just as lovely for bright winter afternoons as it is for candlelit evenings. Garnish with citrus wheels, cinnamon sticks, or star anise to suit the season.

A warm glass for candlelit nights and lingering conversations.

Do you prefer your spiced wine bright with citrus, deeply spiced, or gently sweetened? Share your favorite way to serve it.

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Also known as gluhwein or hot wine, made from hot mulled cider and spices, it is drunk traditionally as an integral part of wassailing, an ancient English Yuletide drinking ritual and salutation used to ensure a good cider apple harvest the following year and also involved in door-to-door charity-giving.

It can be made in the slow cooker, on the stove or in your instant pot. Just like Wassail, I think every family has their own recipe for “Mulled Wine” and this is mine.

I love the warm combination of spices in this recipe that give an ordinary red wine a nice, warmed, spicy kick right in the stemmed glass…..which are not needed for this so leave those in the china cabinet and pull out some nice mugs and get cozy with it.