White Glühwein Recipe- A lighter Citrussy Glühwein (2024)

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While on my Christmas Market Tour last I took the opportunity to taste all sorts of warm drinks... there was Red Glühwein, Feuerzangenbowle, Punsch, Eierpunsch, and WHITE Glühwein. White Glühwein? I’d never seen that before! And I love it! It’s warm and flavorful with the addition of Cinnamon, Anise and Allspice. But it also has more of a citrus kick, which appeals to my Southern California upbringing. (Added bonus! Spills are less messy!) I played with a few different recipes once I got home, and I worked up one that my whole family loves. This White Glühwein recipe leans heavily on Citrus, but the flavor of wine and spice still shine through. And it’s perfect for this time of year, when it’s not quite cold, but really not warm anymore.

White Glühwein Recipe

My father owned a wholesale nursery that grew and sold Citrus trees, so we had a LOT of Oranges, Lemons, and Mandarins while I was growing up (free fruit!). Sweet tart citrus flavors imprinted early with me. This recipe uses Orange juice and the juice from a few mandarins. I also sliced in a few oranges and a lemon. Face it, with all that Vitamin C, White Glühwein is practically a HEALTH Food! But then, I added Orange Liqueur, which isn’t exactly what the doctor ordered….

Cinnamon Sticks, some allspice berries, cloves and a couple Star Anise get simmered into the mix and add a punch of flavor.

All of this goes in with a bottle of White Wine. Which white wine depends on you. Go ahead and use a Riesling (but before you add any sugar…TASTE IT). My favorite German White is a White Burgunder (which translates to Pinot Blanc here in the US). Honestly though, when I make a Glühwein of ANY color, I use a less expensive vintage. It’s just too much of a shame to take an expensive wine and add all sorts of stuff to it. Don’t go with the cheapest (that’s a headache waiting to happen), find something near the lower middle.

And whatever you do, don’t let the Glühwein come to a boil! A nice simmer will blend up those flavors… a boil with cook off the alcohol and leave you with complicated juice.

To Serve

Add a slice of orange, and maybe a cinnamon stick to the serving mug before serving. It’s up to you if you want to strain the Glühwein when you take it off the stove… some people are less excited about getting an allspice berry in their glass than you would imagine. (And FYI…it’s good hot or cool)

Fair warning! This white Glühwein recipe will creep up on you!

Simmer, don’t boil… it may foam a bit, that’s ok

White Glühwein Recipe

White Glühwein is a "lighter" alternative to regular Red Glühwein.

Serve with a cinnamon stick or a slice or orange.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Advent Season in Germany, German Beer and Wine, German Foods and Recipes

Cuisine German

Ingredients

4 cups White Wine I used Chardonnay, but Riesling is good
1 cup Orange Juice
Juice from 2 Mandarins
1/2 cup Orange Liqueur I used Triple Sec
1 Lemon Sliced
1 Orange Sliced more for garnish if you want
3 Cinnamon Sticks more for garnish, if you want
2-3 Star Anise whole
5-7 Allspice Berries whole
4-5 Cloves whole
4 Teaspoons Sugar or to taste

Instructions

In a medium saucepan
Pour in the white wine, juices, Orange Liqueur.
Add the sliced orange and lemon
Add the spices
Bring to a simmer.
Let it simmer for about 15 minutes. TASTE
Need sugar? add some.
Simmer another 15 minutes.
Taste
You can leave it on the stove for an hour or more.. just make sure the burner is on low. It will continue to get stronger.
Serve

Notes

You can make White Glühwein ahead of time!

Prepare according to the recipe.
Strain all the solids (citrus slices and spices out, leaving the spices in might cause a bitter flavor.).
Store the liquid in the refrigerator. You can also save the strained bits in the refrigerator

Reheat when ready to serve. (If you saved the strained bits, you can return them to the pot at this time)