Mulled wine: a lowdown on the popular Swedish Christmas tipple

Swedes consume around five million litres of mulled wine every year. As Sweden celebrates the day of mulled wine on 1 December, we give you a lowdown on all things glögg.

According to Systembolaget, Sweden’s alcohol drinks retailer, Swedes consume around five million litres of mulled wine every year. Spiced, sweet wine served warm is nothing new however, as the Romans and the ancient Greeks spiced and sweetened their wine. Nowadays, mulled wine can be found in many countries around the world; the Germans have glühwein, the French have vin chaud, and in Sweden, mulled wine is simply called glögg.

The Swedish tradition of drinking mulled wine for Christmas kicked off in the 1890s. Spritmuseum, a museum dedicated to Swedish drinking culture, states that at the time, wine merchants often had their own versions of mulled wine, with festive Christmas-themed labels. Apparently, one of the most famous wine merchants in Stockholm, J. D. Grönstedt & Co., had special versions which included a blend of wines, syrup, raisins, almonds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and vanilla.

Photo: Blossa

Anticipated annual release

One of the best known mulled wines in Sweden is Blossa, which has been made according to the same recipe since 1895. First, the spices are mixed and extracted, a process that takes around five months. They are then mixed with wine, sugar and water, and left to mature for some time. This brings out heaps of those classic mulled wine flavours; cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and orange. The mulled wine is then heated before being bottled.

There are many different kinds of mulled wines available on the market, from the classic red wine base to innovative flavoured versions. In supermarkets, you will also find alcohol-free versions and ready-made spice mixes, if you want to make your own mulled wine.

Since 2003, Blossa has released a special edition with a new flavour and design each year, much anticipated by many. Blossa 2024 has a white wine base with notes of smoky Scottish whisky and dulse algae, which adds saltiness and umami. Last year’s special edition had flavours of hops and raspberries, and previous years have seen for instance coffee, lingonberry and juniper, as well as yuzu and ginger.

Day dedicated to mulled wine

On 1 December, Swedes celebrate the day of mulled wine (Glöggens dag). One more reason to meet up with friends and family to enjoy some old favourites or perhaps the new 2024 edition from Blossa, or some new releases from other producers. By the way, you don’t need to enjoy mulled wine warm, you can also serve cold and with some ice.

What to serve with glögg, you might wonder? Often, mulled wine in Sweden comes with blanched almonds and raisins on the side, so you can add to your own preference. It might also be served with gingerbread biscuits and saffron buns. Some people love to have blue cheese with the gingerbread biscuits – are you one of them?

We recommend that you try mulled wine together with the soft, chewy caramel candies with sea salt, which can be found in this month’s food column – a delicious treat.

Photo: Magnus Carlsson – imagebank.sweden.se

For more information on glögg, see: www.glöggensdag.se