“This is the first time I’ve tried warm white! », rejoices, glass in hand, Lola. Coming with their friends from the “deepest part of Burgundy” to visit the Strasbourg Christmas market, the group of thirty-somethings intend to warm up with “the feeling of participating” in the party with a glass of mulled wine on their lips. . It remains to be seen which one, because between red or white, good wine or booze, it is better to avoid wandering around “one shot of red, one shot of white” so as not to lose your mind…
A difficult choice which is also complicated with the most surprising proposals which flourish a little more each year, such as raspberry mulled wine, blueberry mulled wine, sparkling wine, clementine white wine… So many proposals, recipes and ingredients that chalets and yet… In this jungle of hot and popular drinks, red mulled wine, in its classic version, remains essential. It is the one most requested, assure the many chalet owners encountered by 20 minutes. Christophe, the “sommelier” of a stand at the foot of the cathedral, even assures that the sale of “white mulled wine remains anecdotal”. Although for a few years the chalet offered several kinds of mulled wines, the idea had been abandoned. “That means fewer pots to manage, one for the red, one for the white and that’s it,” says the Christmas sommelier. His secret? Spices, wine kept at 65 degrees, cloves, star anise, a little sugar, orange and lemon zest. A classic recipe and the deal is done.
A red mulled wine king of the aisles, but with what recipe? Like everywhere, there is good and less good… And, walking behind the chalets, it is not exceptional to find boxes of red wine of all kinds near the trash cans. “I take a basic table wine, as cheap as possible,” confides another sommelier who is delighted to see his mulled wine go like hotcakes. No matter, the queues in front of the chalets grow longer as the temperatures plummet at the end of the day. Too many spices, too much or not sweet, sometimes harsh, the mulled wines tasted from one chalet to another in the Christmas Capital are not really of exemplary aromatic regularity. Whatever ? “I don’t expect to drink great wines at a Christmas market,” assures Manuel, a Spaniard from Barcelona who came with his family. And then it would be a shame to heat it up. But it is okay. It’s a bit like sangria but hot, jokes the tourist. The most important thing is to drink it while looking at the illuminations. » Afterwards, we will have understood, the real secret lies at the bottom of the pot. With Pinot Noir for the red if you want something good and local, and it all depends on the heating time, the quantity of spices, sugar, the temperature…
“Alsace, a land of white wine”
A leadership of red mulled wine which, over the years, however, gives more and more ground to the little white. Especially since 2012 when the Tribe of Alsace wine gourmets set out to raise the level of quality of the wines offered on the Strasbourg Christmas market, with the establishment of a jury and tastings on the stands. “Alsace is still a land predominantly of white wines,” emphasizes Yann Molla Weber, a young winegrower and member of the Tribe of Gourmets of Alsace Wines. Red wine, Pinot Noir, makes up only 3% of the grape varieties in Alsace. A long time ago, when we made mulled wine, we made do with what we had, and therefore white wine most often. » An expertise that is well known to many Strasbourg residents who come to its stand With white mulled wine from Alsace, Place des Rohan, not far from the cathedral and which he runs with another well-known Alsatian winemaker, Charles Brand. Organic local wines, organic spices and fruits, traditional white mulled wine is often based on Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Sylvaner. “We avoid wines that are too aromatic and sweet like Gewurztraminer,” explains Yann Molla Weber.
“We smell more of the wine, less of the spices,” admits Louise, a tourist from Ardèche. But it gets to my head more quickly,” regrets his friend Stephane who prefers red, to “last over time”… “We put a lot less spices in white mulled wine,” confirms Yann Molla Weber. He explains: “When we cook red wine, we overdevelop the tannins, which gives it a slightly rough, bitter side. It’s really good for tenderizing meat for example, but on the palate it’s not great, it’s bitter so you have to add a lot of spices. With white wine, a stick of cinnamon, a star of star anises to make 40 liters of wine, a little sugar, two orange peels and one lemon peel, and that makes a very digestible wine. »
Red or white, all tastes are on the market. And it is perhaps Paul, a fifty-year-old from Strasbourg, who has the final word. “I found a mixture of red and white wine with the usual spices near the big tree. It’s called grandmother’s mulled wine. It’s mild and not too sweet. In any case, it doesn’t matter what the drink is, the important thing is to warm your hands in the corner of a small chalet and share a Christmas moment.