flipNavegado (Chilean mulled red wine)
Navegado (Chilean mulled red wine)
Why this dish? Neruda wrote the 'Oda al vino' and made Chilean red wine the companion of his table; navegado, spiced hot wine with orange, is the comforting version of winter evenings in Santiago, at La Chascona.
Red wine heated with orange slices, a little sugar, and mild spices. Drunk steaming on rainy nights, between poetry and friendship.
Wine, my friend, has purple feet and an autumn heart — it is born from the earth of Chile and flows down into us like a river. When winter comes, at La Chascona, I make it 'navigate': I gently heat it with orange rounds that float like little suns, a bit of sugar, a cinnamon stick. One never boils it, or it loses its soul. It is poured blazing hot into glasses, and suddenly the Santiago rain becomes pleasant company.
- •Chilean red wine — one bottle (base)
- •Oranges — one to two (perfume and acidity)
- •Sugar — a few spoonfuls (sweetness)
- •Cinnamon — one stick (sweet spice)
Navegado (Chilean mulled red wine)
Red wine heated with orange slices, a little sugar, and mild spices. Drunk steaming on rainy nights, between poetry and friendship.
Why this dish? Neruda wrote the 'Oda al vino' and made Chilean red wine the companion of his table; navegado, spiced hot wine with orange, is the comforting version of winter evenings in Santiago, at La Chascona.
Wine, my friend, has purple feet and an autumn heart — it is born from the earth of Chile and flows down into us like a river. When winter comes, at La Chascona, I make it 'navigate': I gently heat it with orange rounds that float like little suns, a bit of sugar, a cinnamon stick. One never boils it, or it loses its soul. It is poured blazing hot into glasses, and suddenly the Santiago rain becomes pleasant company.
Ingredients (period version)
- Chilean red wine — one bottle (base)
- Oranges — one to two (perfume and acidity)
- Sugar — a few spoonfuls (sweetness)
- Cinnamon — one stick (sweet spice)
Ingredients
- Fruity red wine — 750 ml (base)
- Orange — 1, sliced (perfume and acidity)
- Sugar — 3 to 4 tbsp (sweetness)
- Cinnamon — 1 stick (spice)
- Clove — 2 (optional) (perfume)
Method
- Pour wine into a saucepan with sugar, cinnamon, and optionally cloves.
- Add orange slices.
- Heat over low heat, never letting it boil (the alcohol should remain and the wine not turn bitter).
- Keep at a simmer for 5–10 minutes to infuse flavors.
- Serve very hot in heatproof glasses, with an orange slice in each glass.
How it was made : Navegado was prepared on the wood stove of Chilean houses during rainy winters; it was said the orange 'made the wine navigate' on the surface, hence its name.
The contemporary twist : For a non-alcoholic version for younger ones, replace the wine with red grape juice heated with the same spices and oranges.
Sources : Pablo Neruda, 'Oda al vino', *Odas elementales*, 1954
Pablo Neruda · Charactorium
