Festive Winter Drink-Vin Chaud

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We were first introduced to Vin Chaud on our honeymoon in Italy in January of 2013 and became reacquainted with it in 2017 when we spent Christmas in beautiful Quebec City. We’d wander the streets of Quartier Petit Champlain and duck into pubs to enjoy a hot mug or belly up to the Winterbar at the German Christmas Market for a shot to warm us up. You can read about our Christmas Vacation in Quebec here.

I like to make Vin Chaud for winter bonfire parties like on New Year’s Eve or a fun winter weiner roast with family and friends.

But Vin Chaud doesn’t have to be saved for a special occasion or dreamy winter vacation! It can be a wonderfully soothing and aromatic treat to sip by the fireplace on a cold winter night. 

One thing I’ve learned is that the wine you choose DOES matter. Don’t put a bottle of wine in your Vin Chaud that you wouldn’t drink on its own…this will affect how your Vin Chaud tastes. I’m not suggesting an expensive wine at all…just a wine that you enjoy. We like a dry red wine in our Vin Chaud.

This recipe will serve 2 large servings or 4 smaller servings. It is quite potent so a smaller serving is best. When we are going to have guests, I will double the recipe and it seems to be more than enough when serving in small cups.

Vin Chaud (Mulled Wine)

Ingredients

1 bottle (750 ml) bottle of dry red wine

1 orange sliced into rounds

6 whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

2 star anise (when I can’t find whole star anise, I will use 1/2 teaspoon of the seeds)

3 tablespoons of sugar

1/4 cup brandy

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Be careful not to boil the wine.

2. Reduce heat to low, cover and keep warm for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. Keep in mind, this will reduce the longer it is heated.

3. Strain the wine and serve. To avoid having to strain the vin chaud, you could put the cloves and star anise into a tea filter and throw it into the pot.

Cheers!