2022 ended with some bone-chilling extremes like what you see below.

So, how ’bout we start off 2023 on a comfortably warm, fully flavorful note? We call it “glow-wine” in our family, which is a direct translation of the German word “Glühwein” (pronounced “glue-vine”) for “glowing wine”. Glühwein is so named because Germanic people centuries ago used red-hot glowing irons to heat the wine and spices mixed with it to make what has since become a traditional and well beloved hot winter drink. We call it mulled wine in America. Not a very inspiring title. Instead, I love our family’s American name because of how the “glow” adds magic to this very simple-to-make and fantastically flavorful soul-warming hot drink that tastes and feels great when it’s bitter cold and dark outside.

Here’s all you need for ingredients.

As laid out in the picture book directions you can get by clicking this link or any picture on this page,…

…the two keys to making Glühwein/mulled wine are using a richly flavored red wine and letting the wine and spice mix warm slowly to bring out the flavor of each ingredient.

Enjoy!