Mulled Wine (Slow Cooker)

This is a fun way to make cheap wine taste better, and since it is served warm it works well for a holiday party. I have attached the link where I copied this recipe from under the title- the author of that blog is my hero. She used her crock pot every day for a whole year and I learned so much from her during that time. And she writes in a fun and witty style, which is always fun.

Slow Cooker Mulled Wine

--2 bottles dry red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)
--1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 3 oranges)
--2 more oranges (one to float on top, and one for garnish wedges)
--3/4 cup white sugar
--1/4 tsp allspice
--1/4 tsp cinnamon
--4 cinnamon sticks
--4 whole cloves

Serves 6-8 (sort of. it really depends if you want your guests to have a taste, or a bunch. I'll double this next time.)

I used a 6 quart crockpot.

Open the wine. This was really very hard for me. I need one of those fancy wine opener thingies. It seriously took a good twenty minutes for me to open one of the bottles, and I got all sweaty and frustrated. ugh.

Squeeze the oranges to get 1 cup of juice. I'm sure you could get away with using store-bought juice, but the pulp floating around is what's kind of neat about mulled wine; it's more rustic this way. And oranges are in season.

Stir in the sugar, and add the ground spices. Float the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves on top. Slice one of the oranges in rings, and float the rings on top.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for 4.

You want the wine to get as hot as a traditional hot beverage.

Ladle into mugs, and serve with a fresh orange wedge.

When serving, leave the lid off and the crockpot on "low."

The Verdict.

I liked this much more than I thought I would, and look forward to making it again. I will on Thanksgiving. I like that you can use terribly cheap wine (Adam went shopping the night before and Trader Joe's was already closed, but this is a great use for 2 Buck Chuck---although he assures me that the Sutter Home was on sale for $3.99) and still wow even the toughest wine snob.