CITRUS & CINNAMON MULLED WINE

Two weeks ago I was wearing a Tshirt and thinking, 'winter aint so bad!'

That was before Winter actually hit. And now we are well in it, merino socks, grandma's knit jumpers and all. Which I am loving, by the way. And while my go to fermented drink is Kombucha Tea these days, I had people over for dinner the other night and thought I'd make a lovely batch of citrus mulled wine. It's the perfect balance of spices, citrus and wine, and goes down like silky red amazingness.  You can feel it warming your whole body!

Now for kids and non drinkers, I suggest replacing the wine with a nice natural red grape juice, the kind that is naturally sweet with no added sugar.

For the wine lovers, a beautiful organic or bio-dynamic wine is a total treat. Growing this way is not only healthier, but vintners say it allows for better expression of flavour too. Check out NZ Wine for an ever growing list of Certified Organic New Zealand Wines.

You'll Need

1 Bottle of red wine, I used Villa Maria Organic Merlot
1 small orange, sliced with rind into rounds
6 Cloves
3 star anise
1/4 cup honey
3 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely sliced
1 tsp nutmeg
1-2  bay leaves
1 dash vanilla extract, powder or paste (Heilala is my fav)

Serves 4-6

*This recipe makes for one pretty yum Mulled wine. However, if you don't have all the spices on hand, stick with the ones you do have, it'll still be delicious.

Method

Combine all ingredients into a large pot. Gently warm over low to medium heat (avoid boiling), for 20-25 minutes. When the wine is gently steaming and fragrant it is ready to serve. Ladle the mulled wine into mugs (leave seasonings behind) and sip over some good conversation :)