Mulled Red Wine on a Bourgogne Mountaintop

I first had mulled red wine on top of a mountain in the Bourgogne, Rhone-Alps region in France. It’s a bit of a story. A friend of mine was trying his hardest to teach me how to snowboard, while I was trying my hardest to keep from breaking my neck. Not too long into the sliding, bruising and rolling, we were suddenly engulfed by a freak blizzard. Fleeing for cover, we followed a few stray skiers to a random lodge located on top of one of the nearby peaks. A plume of smoke came from its chimney and though it looked deserted from the outside, it was actually quite busy inside. The soft quite sound of snow and wind gave way to the bustle of a busy eatery. Bearded lumberjack-looking Frenchmen in red and green plaid were scattered throughout the place amongst skiers and what I swear to be common-day tavern wenches. There was a cauldron-sized kettle in the middle of the cabin with a green lentil soup simmering away making the place fragrant. Between the warm smells, colorful patrons, logged walls and the snow-sloshed floors I thought we were in some kind of arctic frontier movie; all the clichés seemed to fit.

Regardless of how impressed I was with the ambiance, there was no place to sit. The place was so packed, that they sat us outside under a whipping tent with no walls. This may have been fine if it wasn’t snowing sideways and freezing! Through our shivers, we looked around at the other customers to see how they were suffering but to our surprise, they were not. Each of them, including some children, were holding a glass of mulled red wine in a tight two-handed grip. We ordered the same and were quick to grab them off our server’s tray. They were hot. Too hot to hold, but we were so cold we held on anyway hoping to burn the cold off our hands. Too hot to drink, we set them on the table and held them close to our bodies, allowing the smoking vapors to float over our faces. The steam was warm and melted away the congestion in our noses while the intoxicating alcohol vapor rendered our brains numb. It warmed us before we even tasted it. I took a swallow, and remember to this day the detail. Warm, fruity and slightly sour on the palette, it hit my stomach like oatmeal and filled me with immediate radiant heat! It was like Popeye’s spinach!

After a while the weather let down and everyone was evacuated off the mountain. Since that day I always make mulled red wine during the winter months, though it’s never the same. Perhaps I need that mountain top lodge to get the taste just right.

Bourgogne Mulled Red Wine

1/2-1 whole orange peel
1/4 lemon peel
1 bottle Burgundy red wine (any can be substituted)
½ cup brandy
2/3 cup-1 cup sugar
4-8 cloves
4-8 juniper berries
1 stick cinnamon

First, peel or zest the orange and lemon being sure to leave behind all of the white pith. Using a mortar & pestle, smash the peel/zest slightly.

Next, combine all the ingredients together in a stainless steel pot (non-reactive) and heat until just before a boil. Be sure all the sugar is stirred in and is completely dissolved.

To finish, serve the hot wine immediately to enjoy in the coldest environment possible.