Some Russians make one big mistake – “lose a lot of money” when choosing wine for mulled wine. In addition, the instructions for preparing a warming drink, indicated on the back of packaged spice mixtures, often mislead the layman. A compatriot who studied in Milan as a sommelier spoke in more detail about this.
An experienced sommelier tourist surprised compatriots in his Yandex.Zen blog, saying that he does not attach much importance to whether the spices for the winter drink are chosen individually or bought in a ready-made package, because. “mulled wine is not a drink that requires close attention.”
The recommendation for its preparation indicated on the back, or rather the specific phrase “add a bottle of good red wine”, always confuses the author. He has two reasons for this, tk. It is not clear what spice producers put into the concept of “good wine”. “Is this a wine rated good by WSET or something else? I still think not. And if not, then the second question arises: what kind of wine is considered “good” according to the standards of producers of mixtures for mulled wine? — explained the compatriot.
The main message of the expert is expensive wine, and even the basic average price segment of about 1,000 rubles is not necessary to buy for brewing mulled wine. Cheap will do. “Taking something expensive or it doesn’t make sense at all. Even wine for a thousand rubles could already see the barrel. Let not for long and by no means new, but the oak may have been there. Perhaps the grapes themselves were of slightly higher quality. But in the case of mulled wine, all this is absolutely unimportant for us, because we will get the flavoring qualities from the added spices, ”added the expert.
Cinnamon and star anise have a strong aroma, much more intense than the “secondary” and “tertiary” wine. In addition, wine in its own form is not served at 60-70 degrees, its “aroma is revealed only at the right serving temperature”, and it is much lower than mulled wine.
Sommelier's advice is to use the cheapest wine. “If you live in Italy, then Rosso Veneto. If in Georgia, then the base Saperavi. If in Russia, then I would still take basic Italy or Spain, even in a box. A glass bottle is useless for such wine, but it will increase the cost at least a little. If it’s really a problem, then Chateau Tamagne is unpretentious for 200 rubles to help you, ”he clarified and added that buying expensive wine for mulled wine is wrong and wasteful.
For those who value a healthy lifestyle , we recommend reading: “Scientists have found that the Mediterranean diet helps to get pregnant.”