Wine · Explainer
How do you make mulled wine?
Slowly heat red wine with sugar and spices to about 70 degrees Celsius and keep it there. Never let mulled wine boil: ethanol boils at 78.4 degrees Celsius and evaporates well below that. Count on 1 bottle of 0.75 litre for four to five mugs, with a cinnamon stick, four cloves, a slice of orange and 50 to 75 grams of sugar. Let it steep for twenty minutes and strain.
In brief
The key figures
| Boiling point of ethanol | 78.4 degrees Celsius, or 351.5 kelvin |
|---|---|
| Working temperature | About 70 degrees Celsius, do not let it boil |
| Yield per bottle | Four to five mugs from 0.75 litres |
| Type of wine | Dry red wine of 12 to 14 percent by volume |
| Sugar | 50 to 75 grams per bottle of 0.75 litre |
| Spices | Cinnamon, clove, star anise, orange peel |
| Steeping time | Twenty minutes at a simmer |
| Age limit | 18 years, also for hot wine |
Which wine do you use for mulled wine?
Take a dry red wine of 12 to 14 percent by volume, without residual sugar and without heavy oak ageing.
Sugar and spices are added anyway, so a wine that is already sweet becomes too sweet after spicing. Oak ageing gives aromas that are hard to combine with cinnamon and clove. Grapes that suit this are merlot, grenache and tempranillo, and the red blends from the Languedoc and the Rhône. A wine with firm acidity also keeps the drink balanced when warm.
Why must mulled wine not boil?
Ethanol boils at 78.4 degrees Celsius, and from a mixture of water and alcohol the alcohol evaporates well below that limit.
If you boil the wine, a large part of the alcohol disappears and the volatile aromas of the spices and the orange peel evaporate as well. So keep the pan at about 70 degrees Celsius. A cooking thermometer helps, but the lowest setting of your hob works too: as soon as bubbles rise along the edge, the heat is too high. Keeping it warm is fine, boiling it is not.
How much sugar goes into mulled wine?
Allow 50 to 75 grams of sugar per bottle of 0.75 litre, and taste before you add more.
Cane sugar, rock sugar and honey all work. Add honey only at the very end, off the heat, because its aroma fades when heated. If you want to get by with less sugar, use a slice of orange and a piece of apple: they bring sweetness and acidity at the same time. For two litres of mulled wine you end up with 130 to 200 grams of sugar.
How long should glühwein steep?
Twenty minutes at about 70 degrees Celsius is enough; steeping longer makes the clove dominant.
Heat the wine with the spices and the sugar, turn the heat low as soon as steam rises and leave the pan standing. Then strain the spices out, otherwise they keep infusing as long as the pan stays warm. If you want to work ahead, make a concentrated infusion of water, sugar and spices, and only mix that into the warm wine when serving.
Does alcohol remain in glühwein?
Yes, mulled wine remains an alcoholic drink: heating it to 70 degrees Celsius evaporates part of the alcohol, but far from all of it.
Under the Dutch Alcohol Act, a drink is alcoholic as soon as it contains more than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume at 20 degrees Celsius. Mulled wine easily exceeds that limit. So do not serve anyone under 18, and put a second kettle next to it with apple juice, cinnamon and star anise for those who drive or do not drink.
From the shop in Bathmen
Which red wines can you use for mulled wine?
The shop in Bathmen stocks 156 red wines from 93 different brands from 14 countries. Prices range from € 4.49 to € 11.99. The alcohol percentage ranges from 6% to 14.5%.
- Arrumaco Tempranillo 13% · 75 cl · Spain
- Aussieres rouge Pays d'Oc DBR Lafite 13.5% · 75 cl · France
- Baracca Rosso d'Italia 12% · 75 cl · Italy
- Borges Meia Encosta Tinto 13% · 75 cl · Portugal
- Borges Quinta da Soalheira Red Douro DOC 13.5% · 75 cl · Portugal
- Boschendal Lanoy Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 14% · 75 cl · South Africa
- Buitenzorg Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 14% · 75 cl · South Africa
- Cambalache Malbec 13% · 75 cl · Argentina
- Canapi Nero d'Avola Vegan 14% · 75 cl · Italy
- Castello di Spessa My Corona Cabernet 13% · 75 cl · Italy
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Short answer
Short answers to related questions
- Can you use white wine for mulled wine?
- Yes. You make white mulled wine with a dry white wine, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and lemon instead of orange.
- Can glühwein be reheated the next day?
- Yes, provided you have strained out the spices. Heat it again to about 70 degrees Celsius and do not let it boil.
- Can mulled wine go in a slow cooker?
- Yes. Set it to low, check with a thermometer that the wine stays below 78 degrees Celsius and strain out the spices after twenty minutes.
- How much glühwein should you allow per person?
- Allow two mugs of about 150 millilitres per person, so about one bottle of 0.75 litre for two to three guests.
- May you give mulled wine to children?
- Nee. Glühwein bevat alcohol, ook na verwarmen. NIX18 geldt onverkort, dus maak voor kinderen een aftreksel van appelsap met kaneel.
Further
Read more
All about wine at 't Bockjefilter wine by country, taste and priceAll brands at a glanceWhat is the difference between champagne, cava and prosecco?What does dry wine mean?What is the difference between Old World and New World wine?What do AOC, DOC and DOCG mean on a wine label?All questions about wine
The reasoning
Sources
- Ethanol, Tboil in de Chemistry WebBook, National Institute of Standards and Technology (accessed 2026-09-05)
- Alcoholwet, Overheid.nl, wetten.overheid.nl (accessed 2026-09-05)
- Alcohol, Voedingscentrum (accessed 2026-09-05)
- Verordening (EU) nr. 1169/2011, voedselinformatie aan consumenten, EUR-Lex, Europese Unie (accessed 2026-09-05)
This page was written and checked by ’t Bockje Bathmen, wine and spirits shop at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Last updated on 7 September 2026.
Verkoop van alcohol onder de 18 jaar is verboden. NIX18.