flipWürzwein du Rhin (spiced mulled wine with honey)
Würzwein du Rhin (spiced mulled wine with honey)
Why this dish? Rhine wine accompanies all of Gutenberg's meals, the anchor says. Warmed and loaded with spices bought at the Frankfurt fair, it became the drink of winter evenings and the comfort of the printer bent over his lead forms by candlelight.
Rhine wine gently heated, sweetened with honey, and infused with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. The medieval ancestor of mulled wine, inherited from the hypocras of banquets.
When night falls and fingers grow numb over the type, nothing beats a cup of warmed wine. I would take our good wine from the hillsides, warm it without ever letting it boil — God forbid we spoil its spirit! —, melt in a little honey and those precious spices brought back from the fair: cinnamon, ginger, a clove. The very scent warms the household. Drink a finger of it, friend, and the work seems less harsh.
- •Red or white Rhine wine — a pint (base)
- •Honey — two spoonfuls (sweetness)
- •Cinnamon — one stick (spice)
- •Dried ginger — a piece (spice)
- •Clove — two or three (spice)
Würzwein du Rhin (spiced mulled wine with honey)
Rhine wine gently heated, sweetened with honey, and infused with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. The medieval ancestor of mulled wine, inherited from the hypocras of banquets.
Why this dish? Rhine wine accompanies all of Gutenberg's meals, the anchor says. Warmed and loaded with spices bought at the Frankfurt fair, it became the drink of winter evenings and the comfort of the printer bent over his lead forms by candlelight.
When night falls and fingers grow numb over the type, nothing beats a cup of warmed wine. I would take our good wine from the hillsides, warm it without ever letting it boil — God forbid we spoil its spirit! —, melt in a little honey and those precious spices brought back from the fair: cinnamon, ginger, a clove. The very scent warms the household. Drink a finger of it, friend, and the work seems less harsh.
Ingredients (period version)
- Red or white Rhine wine — a pint (base)
- Honey — two spoonfuls (sweetness)
- Cinnamon — one stick (spice)
- Dried ginger — a piece (spice)
- Clove — two or three (spice)
Ingredients
- Fruity red wine (or sweet white Rhine wine) — 75 cl (base)
- Honey — 3 tbsp (sweetness)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (spice)
- Fresh ginger — 3 thin slices (spice)
- Cloves — 3 (spice)
- Bitter orange or lemon zest (optional) — 1 strip (aroma)
Method
- Pour the wine into a saucepan with the honey and all spices.
- Heat very gently, never reaching a boil (alcohol and aromas would be lost).
- Let infuse at a simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Strain and serve hot in cups, ideally stoneware or pewter.
How it was made : Spiced hot wine descends from medieval hypocras, a wine sweetened with honey and spiced, served at banquets in the late Middle Ages. The spices — cinnamon, ginger, clove, long pepper — came from the East via Venice and great fairs like Frankfurt's. They were also considered good for digestion and warming the body.
The contemporary twist : Served in a stoneware mug with a cinnamon stick as a stirrer, it is the *Glühwein* of Christmas markets… five centuries before the fact.
Gutenberg · Charactorium
