Glühwein is a spiced hot mulled wine, commonly prepared in fall and winter in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The alcoholic beverage is a must-have german holiday drink at the Christmas markets and après ski parties in the mountains.
It's guaranteed to warm you up from within!
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📕 What is Glühwein?
Glühwein is a hot mulled wine infused with whole spices and orange slices.
You might have come across a hot spiced Glühwein beverage before when visiting a German-speaking country before the Christmas holidays or during an Apré Ski Party in the mountains..
The purpose of a Gluehwein is to warm up the body from within on those freezing cold days in winter.
Glühwein in german and directly translated it would say glow wine, which refers to the fact that the german Christmas wine is hot and that we will "glow from within".
🍷 Ingredients
So, to make the classic mulled wine recipe from scratch you will need the following ingredients for my recipe:
- Red Wine - not too expensive but a good one (see further below for wine recommendation
- Water
- Cinnamon stick
- Star Anis
- Vanilla Bean or Vanilla extract
- Nutmeg
- Orange - Needs to be untreated organic (no pesticides) because we use the skin in the mulled wine.
- Cloves
- Sugar
The Christmas wine spices are always whole spices because the flavors are purer and true to a traditional gluhwein recipe.
Find the checklist for the ingredients in the recipe card further below!
🔪 How to make it?
I broke down the steps to make Glühwein from scratch.
Find the complete recipe with ingredients, instructions + video at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
Step 1
Cut your orange into thick slices.
I like to poke the clove spice into the oranges, that prevents the spice from falling into the mulled wine and it looks nice.
Slit open your vanilla bean and scratch out the seeds.
Step 2
Pour the wine and water into a sauce pan and heat up.
Place the orange slices into the pan with the cloves and throw in the star anise, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean with seeds and Nutmeg.
Step 3
Allow the spices and orange slices to mull in the red wine over slow heat for about 20 minutes
The wine should never boil or else the alcohol will evaporate.
Step 4
Leave to infuse further on the heat and pick out spices and orange slices when done infusing.
Warm up your mulled wine and sweeten it with sugar to your liking.
💡 Is Glühwein the same as mulled wine?
Glühwein is somewhat a variety of mulled wine, so to say a wine that you mull slowly over the heat and along with different spices and orange flavors.
Mulled wine is prepared the same way, which is common in Britain for example, just that the ingredients are different.
Spiced warm wine drink must have been common in Europe since Bacchus, the Greek wine god, introduced wine to us poor mortals.
So yes, the german hot wine is related to other mulled wines across Europe such as the Nordic Glögg and the Russian Glintwein.
📜 Tradition
The advent period (4 Sundays before Christmas) is the time of the year when you indulge the magic of Christmas to its fullest.
For that reason you will see typical Christmas markets, better known as Christkindlmarkt, selling the so-called Glühwein to the visitors in Austria, Bavaria in Germany and Switzerland.
It's an incredible experience to spend time with your family and friends in such a Christmas market, with the snow crystals falling from heaven, the voice of the carols enchanting your senses, the beautiful colored warm lights, the aroma of sweets and baked goods and you with a cup of hot the best mulled wine warming your heart from within.
Another occasion, where it is common to drink Glühwein, is the 5th of December.
The 6th of December is commonly known as St.Nikolas day and that's the day when the Saint comes to bring Chocolates, Sweets, and Oranges to well-behaved Children.
But before St.Nikolas visits with his angles, the demons come back to life to take with them the naughty kids and that's what the 5th is all about.
Those demons from old times are young boys and the man from the Village in the mountains, wearing thick stinking mutton furs, huge hand-carved demon face masks, and massive bells.
You get the idea why at that point you would need an alcoholic infused german mulled wine!
🆚 Homemade VS store-bought
So, while some believe that preparing Gluhwein from scratch is difficult, it actually doesn't involve much work from your side if you know what ingredients to add.
Recently, grocery stores like Aldi have been selling ready-made Gluehwein and mulled wine packages all over the world, so people tend to think it's an elaborate thing to make Gluehwein at home.
Folks you will rejoice because there is seriously no extra work involved in preparing Glühwein from scratch.
You just need to throw in all the wonderful spices and orange slices and, there you have your own homemade flavorful Gluehwein!
And the upside is that you can always adjust the flavors to your ultimate liking.
Make Gluhwein a couple of times and experiment with the spices!
You will see its fun and so rewarding!
Choice of wine
Pick as a base a fruity and flavorful stronger wine for your Glühwein.
Don't go for a sweet soft wine as it becomes difficult to adjust the sugar quantity.
You want a wine with character!
That means you can pick something like a Merlot or Pinot Noir.
Other common wines that you can use to make Glühwein are Lemberger and Zweigelt.
December 2019 Update:
A reader suggested picking a sweeter red wine in the comment section because her Glühwein turned out rather bitter with a Merlot.
In that case, you can go for a Lambrusco too, but a port wine might be too sweet (but it will be your choice if you are into sweet beverages).
Also, a Madeira might be an option for you.
I personally still recommend a not so sweet wine to make Glühwein.
🔥 Warming up mulled wine
Just pour the spiced wine into a saucepan or small pot and keep on medium heat for a few minutes until it gets hot.
The mulled wine should never boil because the flavors get way too intense and change it a bit bitter.
Don't reheat the mulled wine in the microwave, the effect will be the same as boiling the Gluehwein, the flavors will change and give the hot wine drink a burned taste.
♨️ Keeping it warm
Pour your Glühwein into Thermos.
It will keep your Christmas mulled wine nice and hot for hours if you use a good quality Thermos.
I love my Klean Kanteen Thermos for this exact reason and I totally recommend it!
My Glühwein remains hot for 8 hours in the Klean Kanteen Thermos.
💭 FAQs
Glühwein is often while spelled wrongly. We write Glühwein in German-speaking countries, which can be also written as Gluehwein. In some English speaking countries, it is often while also just spelled as Gluhwein (which is a bit wrong to a German-speaking ear)
German gluhwein tastes like a hot wine infused with classic holiday spices with real orange flavors. The aroma is intense and relaxing.
Gluhwein is a mulled wine that consists mainly of alcohol. If you prepare the recipe as per direction and take out the spices, you can store your gluhwein in a bottle in a cool and dark place. Your german spiced wine will be good for the coming weeks.
👁️ Holiday Beverage ideas
- Tyrolean Jagatee - Schnapps infused hot beverage, commonly found in Après-ski Bars in Tyrol
- White Chocolate Liqueur
- Eggnog
- Caribbean Sorrel Drink
- Cranberry Moscow Mule by spoonfulofflavor.com
📖 Recipe
Glühwein Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Orange untreated organic,*see notes
- 10 Cloves Whole
- 1 Vanilla Bean or extract,*see notes
- 3¾ Cups Red Wine *see notes
- 1 Cup Water
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 1 Star Anise
- Pinch Nutmeg
- Sugar to your liking
Instructions
- Wash your orange well to get rid of impurities, pat dry and cut into thick slices.
- Poke cloves into orange slices. This is to prevent the spices to fall into the mulled wine, and it will be easier to collect them afterward. Besides, it looks great too.
- Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scratch out and collect the vanilla bean seeds.
- Pour wine into a saucepan with the water and heat up gradually.
- Place orange slices with cloves into the pan. Also add the vanilla bean with scratched out seeds, cinnamon stick, anise and nutmeg
- Keep on slow heat (it should never boil!) and cover the pot for 15-20 minutes. You can keep the mulled wine to infuse away from the heat if you like.
- Take out all the spices and orange slices. You can strain the mulled wine too if you don't want the fruit pulp in it.
- Make sure your mulled wine is kept on a steady heat. Sweeten your gluhwein to your liking and serve hot.
Notes
- Use only untreated unpoisend oranges because you use the orange with the skin in this recipe to infuse the hot spiced wine. Check if organic means treated without chemicals in your country (not the norm in every country)
- If you can't get a vanilla bean use a few drops vanilla extract or use vanilla bean paste.
- Pick a flavorful red wine with character. You can also use Pinot Noire or Merlot.
I was wondering if you ever thought of changing the page layout of your website? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or two pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?
Katlyn, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I will definitely try to make it easier for my readers to enjoy the content.
"Pick a flavorful red wine with character. You can also use Pinot Noire or Merlot."
I used Merlot and had to add quite a bit of sugar, because it was rather bitter (it did not boil at any point). I also usually prefer dry wines, black coffee, and black tea, so I'm not used to sweet beverages.
yep in that case with a merlot adding more sugar is a must.
Maybe recommend sweeter wine varieties then?
I have updated the text to reflect your point of view. Thanks for sharing your experience with us Deb.
Love this post and delicious recipe! Warming spices and a little holiday cheer makes for a lovely evening. Thank you for the great step by step visuals. Hope you are doing well.
Thank you for your feedback. I hope you have been doing well too! 🙂
Hi! I want to make this for thanksgiving but we will be traveling out of town. How would you recommend I store this if I make it the night before and Can I reheat it on warm in my crockpot?
I recommend you transport your homemade Glühwein in a Klean Kanteen insulated bottle. You can get the 64-ounce bottles, they are well worth it. We transported tea in those when we traveled in the Himalayas and the tea remained hot for over 12 hours at 32 Fahrenheit. You can reheat your Glühwein anytime in the crockpot or over stovetop, but don't bring it ever to a boil. It should just be hot. I wish you a great time with your homemade Glühwein! 🙂
I need this in my life right now! It looks so cozy and festive 🙂
I've always been fascinated by mulled wines and this one is just pure fantastic!
Confession - I've never tried it! But I do have friends and family that swear by making it in the winter months. I think they usually heat it up in a slow cooker while making other dishes on the stove. I'll have to try some this year!
I've always wanted to try this. Your recipe looks very straightforward, so maybe this weekend when the temps dip!
Oh yes I've heard of this and it looks amazing. Thanks so much for the recipe. Sharing this one!
Glühwein is one of my favorite part of the holidays. Love all of your spices. Definitely the perfect way to warm up.
yummy your mulled wine recipe and lovely recipe . available it is over the festive season .
I loved mulled wine - especially how readily available it is over the festive season. Will definitely have to try making it myself one day
This looks like a perfect holiday party drink, or apres ski beverage. I love the addition of star anis too.
What a lovely addition this would be to any holiday party!
Lovely recipe. I don't drink red wine ordinarily but I will always have a glass of gluhwein at Christmas if offered-)
A detailed and an interesting post with some lessons in history.Gonna bookmark the history and dutifully pass on the recipe to my friends who love making wine 🙂
This reminds me of a heavily spiced wine that I tasted in Ladakh. I was there in January when the temperature was -26 deg and it looks like this may have been the perfect drink for that weather.
Though I do not drink alcohol, I would not mind tasting this spiced version.
Do you have to add the extra sugar or you can make it without the added sugar and let the natural sweetness of cinnamon take charge?
I personally don't add sugar while it's mulling and I only add sugar to the cups because I have my teas and coffees in general without any sugar or sweetener. It's a preference story I guess. 🙂
Well, well... looks like we too will have some Glühwein some day in the future!
And yes that'w why I love Glühwein, it warm you up when nature is unforgivably freezing!.
Wow, this is perfect for the holidays! Great info on the difference between Glühwein and mulled wine!
With the holiday parties just around the corner, this looks perfect. Also great to have ready when coming in from having fun in the snow.
How pretty and delicious sounding. Perfect for the cool weather we just started having here. I'm betting it makes your house smell wonderful, too!
My neighbors always make this wine for parties...it is so good!
This takes me back! My husband and I lived in Germany when he was stationed in the Air Force. I remember German friends telling us to be very careful to not cook the gluhwein too long or the alcohol would cook out! This is a great recipe that uses ingredients I can find. Thank you.
Yummy. Your delicious mulled wine recipe reminds me of something I used to drink when I worked at a renaissance faire!! How fun. I can't wait to make your recipe as I love mulled wine!
Love your post! So informative, so unintimidating, and the recipe looks simple! Love the step by step pics...and that sugar on the glass rim, you sealed the deal with that! 🙂
I have fond memories going to the
Christkindl market (Christmas market) in Germany. Glühwein is a staple beverage during the Christmas Holidays. Now that I live in New York I do visit the Christmas Market in the Manhattan, which is wonderful, too. What a great post.
Absolutely beautiful drink. The photos are gorgeous.
Beautiful pictures 🙂 Love this recipe for Christmas. I actually haven't had mulled wine before. Yours looks very tempting!
Mmm... how warm and inviting! I'd love to give some a try! 🙂
Something new and unusual..would love to have a sip before trying out 😉
Great video! I didn't know about any of that - thanks for the education. And thanks for this recipe for glühwein. Love the star anise. Really good post - thanks.
I LOVE gluehwein! It's good to know that it is that easy to make, but I maintain that the one from the markets is something special!
Wow,
So warm and inviting!
That is something I love, although it makes me feel sleepy (better drink it just before going to bed)! In Switzerland, we also drink vin chaud/Glühwein...
Cheers,
Rosa
Yes it's quite a common drink in Europe, in fact it's a drink that used to be served back in the medieval era and they used to call it simply spiced wine. Yet at that time they didn't have certain spices. I am not sure which spices came to Europe from India in the Renaissance.
I've never made mulled wine during the holidays and I don't know why, because I do enjoy it. You've inspired me Darlin' to change that! Thanks! Great post! Enjoyed it.
Hi Helene - I've often heard of glühwein, but I never had it before. I always wondered how different it might be from traditional English, or even Swedish mulled wine and it seems the big difference is the star anise and vanilla (I'm intrigued by that addition especially... it must make for a really nice mild vanilla flavour!). Love the last photo too... can't wait to start making mulled wine 🙂
mhm I believe everybody has their own tricks while preparing the mulled wine. 😉 They keep it save and they would never tell you. ^.^ Star anise isn't always added there, I like a little flavor of this spice. You are right the vanilla gives a nice mellow undertone. It calms you down just like the Nutmeg.
Helene, your mulled wine sounds absolutely delicious and your photos are simply gorgeous! I love how you've enhanced the flavour here with all of the delightful spices. I find myself craving warming beverages this time of year - this one is going directly on my list!
Thank you dear Kelly for the compliment! =D
Mmmmmm, I love mulled wine. I know it's truly Christmas when we have it. (I have had it twice already since the end of November!) It just wouldn't be Christmas without it!
how warm and inviting this would be to smell and drink!
Not really my drink, but it's pretty warming and lovely to enjoy one or two at this season with some Weihnachtsgebäck ;-))
Well, with a current heatwave in my part of Down Under I am glowing quite sufficiently without mulled wine, BUT fondly remember other days in colder climes one could not wait to reach for a glass 🙂 ! Yours is a lovely story of which I certainly did not know all. And I thoroughly enjoyed the video from Tyrol: do hope you do not mind if a repost to some of my lists!!!
Oh sure feel free to repost the video, I didn't upload it anyway. Hey but you could let it cool and have it like that. It was really hot here in the day when I made this one. I had some, but cold and it tasted great! Later on in the evening I made some more to accompany the cool night. =)
Hi Helene,
Oh I really love gluhwein! It is one of the things I look most forward to in the cold weather. Christmas markets in central Europe are amazing. They just don't exist like that in other parts of the world. Thanks for sharing your recipe:)
I agree, the Christmas markets are something special there. =)