Je kühler der Abend, desto größer das Verlangen nach einem wärmenden Glühwein. Für Stefan Keßler und Johannes Ohlig ist ein kalter Dezember gut fürs Geschäft. Denn die Stände der beiden Rheingauer Winzer gehören für die regelmäßigen Besucher des Wiesbadener Sternschnuppenmarkts zu den besonders beliebten Anlaufstationen. Keßler und Ohlig haben sich auf Winzerglühwein spezialisiert, und in den vier Wochen vor Weihnachten dreht sich bei ihnen alles um das beliebteste Getränk auf den deutschen Weihnachtsmärkten. Zwei von drei Besuchern der Märkte haben die feste Absicht, sich einen Becher zu gönnen. Nur rund ein Drittel lehnt die flüssige Kalorienbombe konsequent ab.
Angebot und Nachfrage nach Winzerglühwein haben in den zurückliegenden Jahren stetig zugenommen, bestätigt das in Mainz beheimate Deutsche Weininstitut, das den Gesamtkonsum in Deutschland auf rund 50 Millionen Liter schätzt: „Nahezu alle Anbieter berichten von steigenden Absätzen.“ Die Verbraucher seien bereit, gute Qualität auch preislich zu honorieren. Entsprechend böten immer mehr Winzer Glühwein aus hochwertigen, teils sogar reinsortigen Grundweinen nach alten Hausrezepten oder mit individuellen Gewürzmischungen an, heißt es. In einer Datenbank sind fast 270 Weingüter gelistet, die Winzerglühwein im Angebot haben. Dabei halten sie sich laut Weininstitut häufig bei der Süßung zurück, um die Harmonie der Weinaromen mit den würzenden Zutaten besser zum Ausdruck zu bringen.
This finding is not new for Winkeler winemaker Ohlig. He has been at the Wiesbaden Christmas market with his mulled wine for 35 years and is always close to the wishes of the customers. Right from the start, his aim was to “not clog the mulled wine with sweetness” so that the base wine from the Rheingau could still be expressed in taste. Ohlig combines the Cabernet Mitos, Dakapo and Pinot Noir grape varieties to create a harmonious cuvée that brings out the fine blackberry aromas.
Non-alcoholic versions are also becoming increasingly popular
Ohlig hasn't changed the recipe for his “red classic” in 35 years, but the “red” is slowly losing its dominance in customers' favor. According to him, around 30 percent of consumption in Wiesbaden is now mulled wine made from white grape varieties, and around ten percent is a hot rosé made from Pinot Noir. Both are well received, says Ohlig. The white is mainly used by visitors who place less value on sweetness in the cup, and the fruity rosé is in vogue anyway – and not just as a cool summer drink.
Martinsthaler winemaker Stefan Keßler sees the market situation in a very similar way. For him, the demand for white and red in the mulled wine cup is already balanced, while rosé still occupies a niche.
The Wine Institute confirms the development towards more white and pink varieties of mulled wine. Alcohol-free versions are also on the rise. Ohlig and Keßler can also confirm this. This demand is growing, as is their behavior.
Both winemakers made a virtue of necessity during the Corona pandemic and filled their mulled wine into bottles and into the so-called bag-in-box for enjoyment at home during the lockdown. The two winemakers maintained this after the pandemic, even though sales of bottled goods fell quickly when markets were reopened. However, it is not uncommon for some customers to pick up a bottle at the stand to take home. According to the Wine Institute, “mulled wine enjoyment at home appears to be becoming increasingly established” and has been accompanied by a “premiumization” of the offering.
Contains less sugar in mulled wine
Winemaker's mulled wine differs in taste from the industrial product on the shelves of food retailers, usually in that it has less sugar and a more recognizable wine taste. Despite the sweetness and spices, vintage differences can be seen and tasted in vintner mulled wine. “There are always differences with a natural product,” says Keßler, and in Ohlig’s opinion, the very good red wine vintage of 2023 is also good for the quality of the mulled wine currently being served.
Industrial suppliers are not interested in such differences because their product should, if possible, always taste the same. In addition, there are legal differences. “Winzermulled wine” can only be hot, it was prepared from the producer’s own wines and, depending on the recipe, added cinnamon, cloves, star anise, orange and spices. According to the wine law, mulled wine is a “flavored wine-containing drink” made exclusively from red, white or rosé wine and sweetened and seasoned. The addition of additional alcohol is prohibited, as is the addition of water or dyes. The maximum alcohol content must be at least seven and a maximum of 14.5 percent by volume.
The EU regulation was even changed for the rosé variety in 2022 due to increased demand. This variant can be made from rosé wine as well as from a cuvée of red and white wine. The latter is not permitted for rosé wines. According to the Wine Institute, if mulled wine spices are added to non-alcoholic wine, it may not be referred to as “alcohol-free mulled wine”, but rather as a “flavored drink made from non-alcoholic red wine”.
Economically, mulled wine is an important source of income for established producers. “It's hard to imagine life without it,” says Ohlig, who organizes his operations around these four mulled wine weeks a year and stands at the stand with his wife every day. For his colleagues Keßler, mulled wine sales are also a significant factor in the balance sheet. Especially in times of weak wine sales from the farm, Keßler is “happy about every liter we can sell”.
