Mulled Wines (From Dorset Echo)

Mulled Wines

8:40am Tuesday 9th December 2008 in Tasting Tasting By Patrick Gough

WHAT better tipple to warm the cockles on a winter’s evening than a glass of hot mulled wine? Taste put five to the test, but which gave us something to mull over and which didn’t exactly pop our corks?

Co-op Mulled Wine £2.99

Somewhere in a dentist’s surgery, they are missing a few litres of pink mouthwash. The taste was far removed from mulled wine and teetering on the brink of raspberry juice. 1/5

Sainsbury’s Mulled Wine £3.99

Perhaps it was the relatively sugary taste that made us liken this mulled wine to a rich fruitcake. Despite its deep boozy taste, it was a little over-sweetened. A snifter of rum might get it back on track? 2/5

Lidl Glühwein £3.61

The cheap-looking label proclaims this to be proper German glühwein. Despite being packaged like an industrial strength bottle of scrumpy cider this wasn’t half-bad. 2/5

Waitrose Mulled Red Wine £3.99

Easily the most palatable of the festive tipples, which subtly blends an extensive list of ingredients. With a boozy bite just at the end, you’re reminded this is very much a drink for the grown-ups. 3/5

Tesco Mulled Wine £1.99

Again, this had a base of rich, good quality wine, but without being oversweet or fruity. Certainly it was the driest of the wines, although there’s a cheeky hint of brown sugar. 2/5