While the majority of the US is enjoying an early Spring with all of us practically running to the nearest al fresco dining area with our new 2017 vintages of Rosé, it is still *technically* winter for a little over two weeks.
And since it is still winter, National Mulled Wine Day is Saturday!
Thanks to author Charles Dickens, who referenced mulled wine in his novel "A Christmas Carol," mulled wine is most closely associated with the Christmas holiday. We challenge you to challenge that perception and drink mulled wine more often.
We think there's only one requirement. Cold (or even just cool) temperatures.
If you're having trouble channeling the desire to drink a delicious, warm, spiced beverage, then channel the cold currently felt by some of our favorite producers, including
(Left to Right) Marqués de Cáceres in Rioja, Spain | Miraval in Provence, France |Umani Ronchi in Marche & Abruzzo, Italy | Gradis'ciutta in Collio, Italy.
Mulled wine's history goes back much further than Victoria England and Charles Dickens.
The spiced libation has been the beverage of choice during the winter months for thousands (yes, that's right, thousands) of years.
If "cold weather" isn't reason enough for you , and you need a few more reasons (although we aren't quite sure why you would) to drink mulled wine, we've combed through the pages of history to find a few more for you.
Waste Not, Want Not
The Ancient Greeks drank mulled wine to prevent waste. If part of harvest didn't quite make it in the vats, if there was extra left from a dinner party, the Greeks added spices to the leftover wine, heated it, and voila- the ancient version of lemons to lemonade.
Health & Wellness
Health was at the forefront of many minds during the Middle Ages. How could it not be with terrifying ailments and diseases (remember learning about the Black Death in history classes?) seemingly around every corner? The spices added to wine were believed to have health benefits. While we won't vouch for that idea, we will say that we do vouch for the psychological benefits of having a warm drink on a cold day.
Christmas Every Day
Did you know tastebuds only provide about 20% of our "flavor experience"? The other 80% comes from smell. Smell is a pretty powerful sense (to say the least). Smell is also able to bypass the thalamus in the brain and connect directly to the limbic regions, the emotional parts, of the brain (learn more in this article). So think about the different spices used in mulled wine...cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves...and what holiday do you think of? Christmas. Christmas is one of the happiest times of the year, time spent with friends and family, excitement and anticipation. Drink mulled wine and you can feel like Christmas any day of the year.
If we've managed to convince you that mulled wine is in fact the perfect beverage for you to enjoy this weekend, head over to this post where we've compiled some of our favorite mulled wine recipes using wines from the Vineyard Brands portfolio.
Cheers!
Photo: Esquire