Mulled Wine

But, Baby, it's cold outside!

The most wonderful time of the year hasn’t truly started until you’ve indulged in your first cup of mulled wine. It’s a winter treat enjoyed since antiquity. People continued enjoying it throughout the Middle Ages and it remained a Yuletide fixture in Victorian England. We still can’t get enough of the stuff, especially once it’s time to deck the halls and don your gay apparel (Not that there’s anything wrong with that. . . ).

Wine has been a major part of human culture since we first discovered it. Unfortunately, weather can be fickle. Sometimes a bad harvest hits a vineyard and the grapes are underwhelming. Heating wine and infusing it with spices has long been a favorite strategy for masking flavors from spoiled wine or weak vintages. Thanks to the rise of trade through Istanbul during the Roman Empire, new spices like ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg flooded into Europe and improved food and drink across the Continent.

The practice of mulling survived the fall of the Empire and medieval Europeans liked it even more than the Romans did. Europeans found that steeping herbs, spices and other ingredients in wine for medicinal purposes made a pretty potent drink. Heating it was an effective way of fighting off winter chill, at least for a little while. So it’s no surprise that mulled wine took off bigly in countries like Germany, Austria and Scandinavia. The German’s glühwein is still a staple in Christmas markets and the ever-popular Nordic glögg is often taken to the next level with the addition of akvavit, brandy or vodka.

At what point did mulled wine become equated with Christmas? We have Charles Dickens to thank for that. He included a passage which mentioned Smoking Bishop, a popular mulled wine of the day, in his classic A Christmas Carol.

Today the method remains the same. Cheap red wine + spice + something sweet = mulled wine. Why cheap, you ask? It’s best not to waste the good stuff in your cellar. The sugar and spices mask a wine’s finer points.

If wine isn’t your thing, try mulling cider this winter, or cranberry juice, to (w)assail your senses and warm your spirit. You may not be able to bottle holiday cheer, but a hot cup of mulled wine is a great way to get Christmas in a glass and survive the season with a comfortable glow.

Check the recipe tab (http://aws-pittsburgh.blogspot.com/p/recipes_25.html)

Merry Thanksgivoween

It’s that time again.  It’s the season when we all fret about which wines to serve with our holiday feast.  Well, your friends at the American Wine Society Pittsburgh Chapter are here to tell you to relax.

Forget the usual chardonnay and pinot noir. This year, whether your menu involves Cajun fried turkey, prime rib, creamed kale or Grandma’s candied yams, serve an unexpected wine. Your friends and family expect you to be the wine guru, so pop the cork on a Grenache or Cinsault based rosé or another lesser-known varietal and toast the holidays in style.

• Rosé: Pink wines are experiencing a well-deserved popularity surge. That’s because these crisp, fruity and dry wines are the perfect food-pairing choice. Side dishes such as roasted Brussels sprouts or creamed spinach, kale or corn can present pairing challenges, but dry rosé easily steps up to the plate. Serve it as an aperitif or throughout the meal.
• Grenache: This soft, red fruit-driven wine with strawberry notes pairs well with just about any Thanksgiving course. 
• Touriga: You may know this varietal as Touriga Nacional, one of Portugal’s main Port grapes. But on its own, dry Touriga has violet aromas, with blueberry, plum and baking spice flavors, and a hint of mint. 
• Barbera: This rustic grape is a perfect pairing for burgers and barbecue, but it works well with holiday menus, too. 
• Mourvedre: Move over cabernet sauvignon. This French Rhone varietal works well with spicy turkey or medium-rare prime rib with horseradish. 
• Sauternes-style wine: You can’t have Thanksgiving without pie, and this dessert wine is the perfect match. Traditionally made in the French Bordeaux region, Sauternes-style wines are popping up in the US now, as California winemakers craft their own sweet, small-batch wines in that distinctive style.

This holiday season, cherish the food, the moments, the wine and your people.