Robust and fruity Cabernet Sauvignon, paired with tangy orange, sweet apple, and the warmth of cinnamon and star anise, all in a cup of warm Gluhwein. It’s the perfect Christmas drink!
When I was staying in France, I used to go to the nearby Christmas market a lot, and I just couldn’t get enough of the Glühwein from a little shop there. They also sold these amazing Belgian waffles with homemade apricot jam and whipped cream, and having them together in the cold wintery weather was absolute HEAVEN! This recipe really closely resembled the Glühwein from the little shop – so here’s to hoping you fall just as in love with it as I did too.

Glühwein
Robust and fruity Cabernet Sauvignon, paired with tangy orange, sweet apple, and the warmth of cinnamon and star anise, all in a cup of warm Gluhwein. It's the perfect Christmas drink!
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
Course Beverages
Cuisine Christmas, European, German
Servings 6 servings (~170 ml per serving)
Calories 185 kcal
Ingredients
- 750 ml Cabernet Sauvignon
- 300 ml Water
- ½ Orange thinly sliced
- ½ Red Apple thinly sliced
- 150 g Fine White Sugar/Castor Sugar
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 1 Star Anise
Instructions
- In a pot, add the Cabernet Sauvignon, water, orange and apple slices, sugar, cinnamon stick, and star anise. Use a ladle to mix everything well.
- Place the pot over low heat and let it simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the sugar from sticking to the bottom.
- Once the Glühwein has simmered well, ladle it into the mugs/cups and serve warm. For a festive touch, add the apple or orange slices to each cup before serving.
Notes
TIPS & TRICKS
Okay, you will probably see me repeating this a lot throughout this recipe post and I don’t mean to be an old grandma but it is really important to make sure that the Glühwein does not reach boiling point at any point during cooking or during the reheating. If the Glühwein reaches boiling point, all of the alcohol will evaporate and all of our efforts in making this delicious Glühwein will be lost. If you have leftover Glühwein and you don’t really want to drink it all, turn that leftover Glühwein into Stoofpeertjes (Hint: you would need 550 ml of Glühwein).
STORAGE
Once cooled, strain out the spices, orange and apple and store in an airtight bottle or jar in the fridge. It will last up to 5 days. When you’re ready to consume it, heat it up in a pot over low heat until it’s hot but not boiling. It’s crucial to ensure the Glühwein doesn’t reach boiling point to prevent the alcohol from evaporating.
Keyword Christmas drink, cozy winter drink, easy mulled wine recipe, festive drink, german mulled wine, gluhwein, homemade gluhwein, hot wine, mulled wine, spiced wine




