Hot Mulled Wine is a favorite cocktail sipper in the winter months. The warm spiced wine takes the edge of the chilliest of days. This version is made in the Instant Pot in a flash!
Eggnog and Wassail aren’t the only holiday drinks to be making! This hot wine is full of cinnamon, cloves and star anise that will make your house smell amazing!
It only cooks for 1 minute (literally) in the Instant Pot to blend the flavors and heat it up!
What is Mulled Wine or Gluhwein? Are they the same thing?
‘Gluhwein’ translated from German means ‘glow wine’. It’s a popular spiced wine served warm or hot at Christmas markets in Germany or Austria.
In English it’s referred to as ‘mulled wine’ meaning it has been cooked with spices.
It’s a popular warm drink at Christmas time in many countries.
For a different type try Glogg, a Scandinavian mulled wine which includes blanched almonds.
Why Make Instant Pot Mulled Wine?
- It only needs to cook for 1 minute
- It keeps the stove top free for other cooking
- Making it in a pressure cooker blends the flavors of the wine, brandy, spices and fruit in a perfect way!
Recipe Ingredients + Notes
Some recipes include apple juice or orange juice but we prefer to stick to a more traditional recipe. Wine, brandy, fruit and spices create a delicious drink!
Bottle of dry red wine. Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot are very popular for this recipe. Our choice is a Cabernet. The slighty sweetness blends beautifully with the spices.
Apple Brandy. Either apple brandy or regular brandy can be used. It fortifies the drink flavor.
Apple. Select a small and sweet apple (Honeycrisps are our favorite). It will cook with the wine. Sliced thinly. Don’t peel it.
Orange. Either use an orange or two clementines, both work great. Sliced thinly.
Cinnamon Sticks. You’ll use two cinnamon sticks.
Star Anise. Two star anise will cook with the wine.
Whole Cloves. Only three whole cloves are needed. Stick them into the peel of one of the orange slices to make it easy to remove them at the end!
Light brown sugar. A bit of brown sugar sweetens the wine just a bit. If you prefer a sweeter mulled wine you can add more.
What is the best wine for Mulled Wine?
A dry (versus sweet) red wine. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz or Pinto Noir would be be delicious.
Because you’ll be cooking it with spices you don’t need a completely high end bottle.
Select something mid-range price wise that has robust flavors and you’ll have a great batch of gluhwein!
What are typical spices used in Mulled Wine?
The spices in this type of wine drink can vary. For instance if you were to purchase ‘mulling spices‘ to use either in wine or mulled apple cider the mixture would include any of the following:
- cinnamon sticks
- allspice
- dried orange peel
- cloves
- nutmeg
Other blends will include star anise, ginger, black peppercorns even cardamom pods.
We love the flavor combination in this recipe of using cinnamon sticks, star anise and cloves along with fresh unpeeled orange and apple.
But you can change up the spices to find the perfect blend to go with the wine you’ll be using too!
How to Make it – Step-by-Step
STEP 1. Add the ingredients to the Instant Pot.
Add the wine, brandy, fruit and spices (photos 1-2).
STEP 2. Cook the mulled wine.
Secure the Instant Pot lid and vent closed. Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 1 minute.
Once the cooking cycle is complete perform and QUICK RELEASE.
NOTE: ensure the Instant Pot is not near a stove in use or other heat source when doing the pressure release.
The steam will contain evaporated alcohol and could be flammable.
Photos 3 and 4 are after cooking.
STEP 3. Strain and Serve the Gluhwein.
Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the spices and fruit out of the mulled wine. Reserve some of the fruit for serving if desired.
Serve immediately with a fresh cinnamon stick, some of the cooked fruit slices or fresh orange slice.
Why Straining is Important
Following the cooking it’s important to promptly strain the wine. This is for two reasons:
- Leaving the spices in the wine over time will strengthen their flavor in a potentially unappealing way.
- Left on a warm temperature the fruit will begin to absorb the liquid. So you’ll have fat, plump wine-filled fruit but not as much wine to drink!
Storing Leftovers
Allow the wine to cook and store in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
How to Rewarm the Gluhwein
To rewarm the microwave or stove top can be used. Do not boil the wine because it will become bitter.
More Recipes You’ll Love!
- Sparkling Cranberry Vodka Punch
- Homemade Pear-Infused Brandy
- Brandied Cranberries recipe
- Rompope recipe (Mexican Eggnog)
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Recipe
Gluhwein recipe (Mulled Wine) in the Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 750-ml bottle dry Red Wine Cabernet Sauvignon recommended
- ½ cup Apple brandy or regular brandy
- 1 small Apple thinly sliced
- 1 Orange thinly sliced or 2 Clementines, thinly sliced
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- 2 Star anise
- 3 Cloves
- 3 tablespoons Light brown sugar
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients into the Instant Pot and stir to combine. Close the lid and valve and set on HIGH PRESSURE for 1 minute.
- Perform a QUICK RELEASE and open the valve and lid.
- Strain the wine removing the fruit and spices. Reserve the fruit for serving.
- Serve warm in mugs or glasses with some of the cooked fruit or fresh orange slice and cinnamon stick.
Betsy says
Delicious! I was commenting to my husband just the other day that I needed a good warm mug of mulled wine! Thank you! I will be enjoying this often (but safely)!
Beth says
My husband loves this recipe! I’m so excited!
Jen says
This is so perfect for the season especially with all of our outdoor activities. Love how fragrant it is.
rika says
SO excited to try this recipe with my instant pot! I love mulled wine, the perfect holiday drink.
Chris Collins says
I love getting mulled wine at the Christmas markets! I never knew it was this simple to make, thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Eileen Kelly says
This mulled wine is so darn good. The flavors are perfect and it is a super refreshing Holiday treat. We enjoyed it and will be making again.
Shruthi Baskaran says
Love mulled wine – reminds me of Christmas when I used to live in Europe 🙂 Great recipe, thanks!
Denay DeGuzman says
My husband assembled this delicious mulled wine for us. It helped us ring in the holidays. We enjoyed it as we set up our Christmas tree. This tasty recipe’s a keeper!