Mull This Over-- Warm Holiday Wines

Glühwein, rich, red wine steeped for hours with fresh herbs and spices, is such an amazing German tradition.  This warm holiday beverage is held in the mitten-clad hands of everyone trudging around the all-too popular Christmas markets--as the downfall of snow chills them to the bone, the delicious, hot wine warms them to their very core. In the United States, this tradition is carried out in the form of mulled wine. And while we don't drink wine in public places in quite the same way the Germans do, and we don't experience that same bone-chilling frost here in Southern California, we can all appreciate a warm wine beverage packed with comforting flavors. 

The menu here at Seal Beach Winery is expansive and full of possibilities for mulled wine. With each wine having its own unique flavors and nuances, it only follows suit that these flavors should be built upon with specially catered herbs and spices. 

Pinot Noir- Currently we carry two Pinot Noirs at the winery, and while they do have unique flavor profiles, they can be regarded similarly when heating them up and making them spicy. Both of these wonderfully fruity and earthy wines pair well with sweet, brown baking spices like brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Incorporating brown sugar as well as standard, white sugar into a mulled wine recipe with Pinot Noir will tone down the earthy components of the wine, leaving a blast of fruit and heartwarming spice behind. My recipe would look something like this: 

• 1 Bottle of Pinot Noir 
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/4 Cup White Sugar
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks
• 3 Whole Allspice Berries 
• 5 Whole Cloves 
• A Dash of Nutmeg

Grenache- Our Grenaches are smoky and spicy, and mulling wine with them certainly imparts these flavors into the end result. For this wine, consider making a punch with some Ginger Ale to give it a crisp effervesence that complements the smoky flavors

• 1 Bottle of Grenache
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks 
• 5 Whole Cloves
• 3 Whole Allspice Berries
• 1 Liter of Ginger Ale 

Syrah- Right now, Seal Beach Winery is featuring three Syrahs. While all of these can be used for mulled wine, I suggest the 2012 Syrah that was just released for mulling, as its flavors of vanilla and cedar will really shine alongside the right spices. For this wine, I would stick with the essential cinnamon and clove combo, but add in some star anise and fennel to really highlight the licorice flavors and some lemon to bring brightness to the drink. 

• 1 Bottle of Syrah
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks
• 5 Whole Cloves
• 1 Cup of White Sugar 
• 2 Star Anise Pods 
• 1 Teaspoon of Fennel Seeds 
• Lemon Zest 

Cabernet Franc- As we learned at the Popcorn Pairing Party, Seal Beach Winery's Cab Franc meets its perfect pair in Star Anise and Vanilla Sugar. These ingredients must be the star of the show in a Cab Franc based mulled wine. 

• 1 Liter Growler of Cabernet Franc
• 6 Whole Cloves
• 4 Star Anise Pods
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
• 1 Cup of White Sugar 

Sangiovese- This wine is actually fairly tannic with intense flavors of dried cranberries--perfect for the holidays and spiced wine alike. Accentuate the cranberry flavors with a traditional pairing, oranges! 

• 1 Liter Growler of Sangiovese
• 3 Cinnamon Sticks 
• 4 Whole Cloves 
• 1 Orange, segmented and zested 
• 1 Lemon, segmented and zested
• 1/2 Cup of Honey

Zinfandel- Our Zinfandel is definitely a favorite among our members, and for good reason. This luscious wine is filled with so many flavors, it could complement just about anything. However, for this particular recipe, we're going to match it with everyone's favorite comfort drink--hot chocolate! 

• 1 Bottle of Zinfandel
• 1 Cup of Cocoa Powder
• 1 Cup of a Dark Chocolate Bar, broken into pieces
• 3 Sticks of Cinnamon
• 5 Whole Cloves
• 5 Star Anise Pods

 Chardonnay- Surprise! You can make mulled wine with whites as well. Our 2013 Old Vine Chardonnay is the perfect balance of oakiness and crispness for mulling wine. With this, accentuate the light flavors with citrus and ginger, rather than heavy sugars and cinnamon. 

• 1 Bottle of Chardonnay
• 1/2 Inch of Fresh Ginger, peeled and grated 
• 4 Whole Cloves 
• 3 Star Anise Pods
• 1 Lemon, zested and segmented 
• 1/3 Cup of Honey 

So there you have it, a wide array of combinations to try heating up this holiday season. Remember, for each wine, let the herbs simmer slowly over time to avoid burning the sugars and overcooking the wine. Try heating on a stove on low for a few hours, or even dump the ingredients into a crock pot and let the spices sizzle and flavors develop. And, as always, try to stay warm this winter season! 

Never-Thirsty Thursdays

Seal Beach Winery is undoubtedly more than your average tasting room. It's a place of endless and lively conversation among our loyal members and newcomers alike, often packed to the brim with people enjoying wine from the wide array of choices on our menu or nibbling on artisan cheese plates. Every Friday you'll find our guests lounging around our live musicians, cheering them on while enjoying time with their friends and family (and of course, luxuriously sipping on wine as well!). On Saturdays and Sundays we celebrate our members with the occasional party, like our Harvest and Holiday parties, offering buffets of amazing, local food, hosting vendors from around the area, and giving out tastings of our latest new wines. And of course, we have Wine Wednesday, where every glass you could possibly want is $6.

Every day of the week brings something new for us at Seal Beach Winery. That is, except for Thursday. We thought we'd remedy that by starting a new special available only on Thursdays! That way, each day of the week gets all the love it deserves. 

In case you didn't already know about our convenient and inventive growler program, you can read up on it here. 

Starting this week, for every growler you fill up on Thursdays, you'll get a free glass of any wine of your choosing to enjoy in the tasting room. Our growler program was always amazing, allowing you to enjoy quality wines straight from a keg while skipping the charges that bottling transfers onto the consumer, with the added bonus of helping out the environment. Now, that value is only compounded by a delicious glass

of even more wine to enjoy among good company. 

Moreover, filling your growler on Thursdays still earns you a stamp on your Growler Loyalty Card. Eventually, and probably without even noticing, you'll acquire all ten stamps and get yourself a free growler fill on us. The only thing you need to do to start reaping these rewards is pick up a glass growler and start filling with your favorite wines out of our eight current keg options. 

Now every day is equal at Seal Beach Winery! It will be hard to not come in for every special and event we have to offer, but we won't judge you if you do.