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Mulled wine

Drink

  • Mulled wine

Mulled wine is red or white wine heated with sugar, citrus fruit and spices, and it is the drink of the whole evening at Christmas markets, served in a cup or a mug at the chalet, most often alongside an alcohol-free version. It changes its name at every border, and most of the markets on this site serve it.

White or red mulled wine: what the chalets serve

Red dominates, but white mulled wine has its strongholds: Obernai serves an Obernai mulled wine made with white Alsace wine, Kaysersberg a mulled wine from local winegrowers made with Gewurztraminer, Hamburg a white mulled wine next to the red. Elsewhere, the base wine tells you the region: Côtes-du-Rhône in Lyon, Fronton in Toulouse, Provence rosé in Aix-en-Provence, Touraine gamay in Tours, Baden reds in Baden-Baden, Valpolicella in Verona, Montefalco red in Assisi.

The spices change too: cinnamon in Strasbourg, Lorraine spices in Nancy, citrus in Menton, bilberry in La Bresse, kirsch in Bern, jenever in Antwerp. Pérouges pours a hypocras, and Ribeauvillé a medieval elixir that comes close to it.

Glühwein, vin brulé, glögg: mulled wine country by country

In Germany and Austria, Glühwein is made exclusively from red or white wine, spiced mainly with cinnamon and cloves, and the name has to state whether it is white. Cologne, Dresden, Nuremberg, Aachen, Vienna and Salzburg serve it at the chalet. In Luxembourg it becomes Glühwäin, and in Italy vin brulé, in Merano, Bolzano or Turin. In Prague, svařák is a red heated with cinnamon, cloves and citrus. Kraków and Warsaw pour grzaniec galicyjski. In the north, the glögg of Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo comes with almonds and raisins. Berlin and Echternach add Feuerzangenbowle, Münster Glühbier, Frankfurt hot Apfelwein.

Alcohol-free, hot apple juice replaces the wine in Bolzano, Bregenz, Évian-les-Bains and Wissembourg. In western France, hot cider takes its place in Brest, Caen, Rouen and Bayeux. The history of mulled wine, the deposit mug and what it costs are in our article Mulled wine and its variations, and our guide to Alsatian Christmas specialities details the Alsace version.

Mulled wine in pictures

Vin chaud
Vin chaud
Vin chaud

Where to taste it

Aachen Christmas Market Opens on 20 November

Aachen Christmas Market

Glühwein

Aachen Germany

From 20 November to 23 December 2026

Worth the trip

Agen Christmas Market Dates to be confirmed

Agen Christmas Market

Agen France

Local favourite

Aix-en-Provence Christmas Market Opens on 13 November

Aix-en-Provence Christmas Market

with Provence rosé

Aix-en-Provence France

From 13 November to 31 December 2026

Worth the weekend

Aix-les-Bains Christmas Market Dates to be confirmed

Aix-les-Bains Christmas Market

Aix-les-Bains France

Day out

Albi Christmas Market Dates to be confirmed

Albi Christmas Market

Albi France

Day out

Alençon Christmas Market Dates to be confirmed

Alençon Christmas Market

Alençon France

Local favourite

Alès Christmas Market Opens on 2 December

Alès Christmas Market

Alès France

From 2 to 24 December 2026

Local favourite

Amsterdam Christmas Market Opens on 3 December

Amsterdam Christmas Market

Amsterdam Netherlands

From 3 to 27 December 2026

Worth the weekend

Angoulême Christmas Market Dates to be confirmed

Angoulême Christmas Market

Angoulême France

Local favourite

Antibes Christmas Market Dates to be confirmed

Antibes Christmas Market

Antibes France

Day out

Antwerp Christmas Market Opens on 4 December

Antwerp Christmas Market

laced with jenever

Antwerp Belgium

From 4 December to 3 January 2027

Worth the weekend

Aosta Christmas Market Opens on 21 November

Aosta Christmas Market

vin brulé

Aosta Italy

From 21 November to 6 January 2027

Day out

Arcachon Christmas Market Dates to be confirmed

Arcachon Christmas Market

Arcachon France

Local favourite

Arco Christmas Market Opens on 13 November

Arco Christmas Market

Arco Italy

From 13 November to 6 January 2027

Day out

Arezzo Christmas Market Opens on 14 November

Arezzo Christmas Market

Glühwein

Arezzo Italy

From 14 November to 6 January 2027

Worth the weekend

Arles Christmas Market Dates to be confirmed

Arles Christmas Market

Arles France

Local favourite

Arras Christmas Market Dates to be confirmed

Arras Christmas Market

Arras France

Worth the trip

Assisi Christmas Market Dates to be confirmed

Assisi Christmas Market

vin brulé

with Montefalco red

Assisi Italy

Day out

Aubagne Christmas Market Dates to be confirmed

Aubagne Christmas Market

Aubagne France

Local favourite

Aubenas Christmas Market Dates to be confirmed

Aubenas Christmas Market

Aubenas France

Local favourite

Aurillac Christmas Market Dates to be confirmed

Aurillac Christmas Market

Aurillac France

Local favourite

Auxerre Christmas Market Dates to be confirmed

Auxerre Christmas Market

Auxerre France

Local favourite

Baden-Baden Christmas Market Opens on 26 November

Baden-Baden Christmas Market

made with red wines from Baden

Baden-Baden Germany

From 26 November to 6 January 2027

Worth the weekend

Barr Christmas Market Opens on 5 December

Barr Christmas Market

Barr France

From 5 to 13 December 2026

Local favourite

Christmas market map

Photo credit