Winter Wine Tip: Mulled Red Wine on the Murrumbidgee

The time to embrace the cold change is now as the weather is perfectly chilled for outdoor adventures. It's warm enough in the day to enjoy a sunny lunch and bottle of Signor Vino - Rose  and cool enough in the evening to cozy up by a campfire, cook a stew and sip on some spiced mulled wine, made with our Growers Touch - Durif. 

Just last week, we packed our swags and headed out to the Murrumbidgee River, only 30 minutes South of the winery in Hanwood, for a fish and a cozy campfire meal.

On arrival, we immediately got the campfire roaring, set up our cooking tripod and got a lamb stew cooking over the flames in a sealed cast iron pot. We left the rest to nature and went fishing for the next 4 hours. Our Growers Touch Durif was also added to the stew.  

We were thrilled, when we returned to a perfectly slow cooked meal and decided we needed a pre belly warmer to really get the party started. Our drink of choice? Mulled red wine, using our 2022 A Growers Touch - Durif.

We decided we should journal it and share it with our Newsletter subscribers. Find the recipe and how we mulled the wine below.

Ingredients

1 Bottle of A Growers Touch - Durif 

2 Cinnamon Sticks (or Aussie flora, Cinnamon Myrtle)

2 Teaspoons whole cloves

1 Large Orange Peel (Easy to find around Hanwood)

1 Large Lemon Peel (or Aussie Lemon Ironbark if you can find)

4 Tablespoons of Sugar or to taste

If you forgot some ingredients and are already at camp or just want to make it a more Aussie Mulled Red, locate the below Australian flora if you have access to it.

Lemon Ironbark

- If you are camping out in Queensland or anywhere Lemon Ironbark grows, pick some leaves for an uplifting citrus flavour with rosemary overtones. An ideal addition to a mulled red.

Cinnamon Myrtle

- If you are camping in a rainforest of subtropical Australia, from Bega on the NSW Coast to Fraser Island off Queensland, Cinnamon Myrtle is the perfect Aussie flora to add. (add in addition or instead of cinnamon sticks).

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How to Mull the Wine

As we were out in the bush, we weren't precious about how we prepared this. We pretty much threw all the spices and wine into a saucepan and heated it over some hot coals, constantly stirring for around 15 - 20 minutes. Avoid letting the wine come to a simmer or boil as it can turn bitter.

We sweetened it with sugar, and drank it. Add more or less sugar according to your preference.

Keep it warm and enjoy.