Mulled wine is an alcoholic beverage usually made with red wine that has been steeped with various mulling spices and sometimes fruit, either fresh or dried. Sometimes known as spiced wine, this drink is a winter season favorite and is most commonly served on or around the Christmas holidays. However, all of that might change now, thanks to the fact that March 3rd has been named National Mulled Wine Day. Now we suspect that people will not only drink it during the holidays but will also want to enjoy it on this day in March.

The History of Mulled Wine

Wine has been spiced and heated since at least the 2nd century in Rome. As the Roman army conquered much of Europe, they introduced people to winegrowing and winemaking. However, there aren’t many written recipes for mulled wine from that era.

To find a printed recipe for mulled wine, you have to go to the Middle Ages. This is when an English book of cookery known as The Forme of Cury was written in 1390. This cookbook specifically mentions a mulled wine that was made by grinding and adding together long pepper, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, grains of paradise, cardamom, marjoram, and galangal. This mixture of spices was then added to red wine and sweetened with sugar.

As far as why National Mulled Wine Day was invented, we couldn’t find the source. There are no sources that we could find that list when this holiday was invented or who invented it. All that we do know is that it was created sometime during the 1970s.

Interesting Facts About Mulled Wine

A lot of people aren’t familiar with mulled wine, so everything we’ve said about it has been sort of a revelation. Now we’re going to blow our readers’ minds even more by listing some of the interesting facts we’ve learned about mulled wine. We learned the following facts during the course of our research, and we’d like to now share these facts with anyone interested in mulled wine and celebrating this holiday.

• Even though hundreds of years have passed since the invention of mulled wines, most of the ingredients have remained the same.
• Wine has to be heated slowly while making mulled wine to ensure that the alcohol doesn’t evaporate.
• Glühwein, another type of mulled wine, was created by German nobleman Count John IV of Katzenelnbogen.
• Glühwein can be made from either red or white wines.
• In Canada, there’s a mulled wine that’s made with maple syrup and spirits.
• Mulled wine will last longer than other types of wine because the spices act as preservatives.
• As wine ages, it becomes lighter in color.
• Red wine grapes have been around longer than white wine grapes.

Observing National Mulled Wine Day

Celebrating this holiday is easy. All you have to do is create your own version of mulled wine and serve it to friends and family members. While you’re observing this holiday, be sure to use the hashtag #NationalMulledWineDay to spread the word about this holiday. Oh, and while you’re serving mulled wine, don’t forget to save us some too. After all, we do love a good warm cup of mulled wine.