How To Make French Vin Chaud For The Holidays
How To Make French Vin Chaud
French Vin Chaud is served throughout the Christmas holiday in France and other parts of Europe. It can also be called French Mulled Wine as well, with each country having its own version of this classic spiced wine holiday drink.
This is one of my favorite parts about visiting a traditional French Christmas Market during the holidays.
French Vin Chaud is a warmed red wine served when the temperatures start to drop outside. People pour into the cafés requesting a cup of warm Vin Chaud. This hot red wine is also served at the Christmas markets throughout Germany as well.
There’s nothing like warming up to a delicious and flavorful glass of Vin Chaud to get you in the festive mood or just to warm you up.
This is the perfect drink to serve for entertaining as it’s incredibly easy to make. Your guests will think you spent hours on this festive drink when really you only spent 15 minutes.
French Vin Chaud is also the perfect drink for a relaxing night at home or after a day of skiing or just being outside in the cold.
You can easily double or even triple this recipe as needed depending on the crowd size you’re serving.
There’s been much debate as to what type of red wine to serve when making French Vin Chaud. Some say go with fruity and others say go with something bolder. I say go with whatever you like. Don’t skimp on the price though, don’t make this drink with wine you wouldn’t normally serve to friends.
I prefer to use a nice bottle of Pinot Noir or Beaujolais in my French Vin Chaud; they aren’t too bold but add just enough sweetness and tend to be on the lighter side.
You can make your own mulling spices or buy some as well from places like Williams Sonoma. The spices are a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and orange.
Alcohol-Free Vin Chaud
You can also make classic French Vin Chaud alcohol-free by replacing the wine with grape juice, apple cider, pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, or a combination of any of these.
If you want to make the Vin Chaud stronger, add brandy or cognac.
How To Make French Vin Chaud
Traditional French Vin Chaud
Materials
- 1 bottle (750 ml)n Red Wine such as: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Gamay, or Bordeaux
- 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Lemon Zest
- 1 Orange Zest
- 2 Cinammon Sticks
- 2 Ginger Slice
- 2 Star Anise
- 3 Cloves
Instructions
- Pour the wine into a large saucepan and add the other ingredients directly.
- Heat everything until simmering without boiling. Continue cooking at a simmer for 10-15 minutes. Make sure to stir from time to time.
- Don't let the vin chaud cook longer than 15 minutes. Remove the spices as needed and pour vin chaud into heat-resistant glasses.
- Add an orange slice and cranberries to each glass as desired.
Notes
- You can choose any fruity wine to your liking: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Gamay, or even a Bordeaux.
- You could also make this in a slow cooker as well, follow all the same steps as above just put it into a slow cooker vs. large saucepan.
- You can add a splash of Cognac as well if you prefer.
- I make mine in my Le Creuset Dutch Oven but any saucepan will do.
- The orange slice and cranberries are optional but make the drink look more festive.
- You also have the option of removing the spices before serving into each glass or leaving the spices in the drink.
- Some people choose to use a 1/4 cup white sugar in this recipe vs. the brown sugar. Completely up to you.
Steps To Making Traditional French Vin Chaud
- Gather all the ingredients necessary to make the Vin Chaud.
2. Pour the red wine into a saucepan; I prefer to use my Le Creuset Dutch Oven; it looks pretty sitting on my stovetop when hosting. Add all the other ingredients into the saucepan as well, either the store-bought mulling spices or your fresh ingredients.
3. Continue cooking at a simmer for 10-15 minutes, but do not boil.
4. Remove the spices as needed and pour the vin chaud into heat-resistant glasses. You could do a simple wine glass or add festivity like these double-wall mugs. Add an orange slice to each glass and top with cranberries if desired. My husband loves to add a cinnamon stick as well.
Toast and enjoy the holiday season. French Vin Chaud is the perfect drink to celebrate the holidays with family or friends, or even for a cozy night at home. Warm-up to this festive French tradition.