Gluten Free Mulled Wine (Glühwein)
Warm, spiced, and deeply aromatic, this mulled wine is the kind of drink that makes a cold evening feel genuinely festive. A bottle of dry red wine gets gently coaxed with cinnamon sticks, star anise, cardamom, cloves, and fresh citrus rounds until the whole mixture smells like a holiday market in a cup. A splash of brandy or dark rum adds a little backbone, while the sugar is adjustable so you can dial the sweetness exactly where you want it. Every single ingredient here is naturally free of gluten, so there's no label-scanning or substitution stress — just straightforward, beautiful flavors working together. The key move is keeping the heat low and patient; you want steam and fragrance, not a boil that drives off the good stuff. Once it's strained into mugs and garnished with a fresh orange slice, it looks as impressive as it tastes. This is the kind of recipe you'll find yourself making on repeat from the first cold snap straight through to New Year's.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine (such as merlot, pinot noir, or dornfelder)
- ¼ cup brandy or dark rum
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar, plus more to taste
- 1 orange, sliced into rounds
- 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
- 6 whole cloves
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 4 whole star anise
- 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- ¼ tsp whole black peppercorns (optional)
For serving
- orange slices or cinnamon sticks, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the red wine, brandy, sugar, orange rounds, lemon rounds, cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cardamom pods in a medium saucepan. Add the peppercorns, if using.
- 2
Warm the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar, until steam rises steadily and small bubbles appear around the edges — about 10 minutes. Do not let the wine boil; reduce the heat to low as soon as it approaches a simmer.
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