Wine Warmers

16 years ago

I canned some poached pears in white wine last night. The syrup was a bottle of reisling, 1 1/2 cups added water, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and vanilla extract, boiled with pieces of ginger, allspice, and vanilla bean. Cooked the pears in it for a few minutes, then packed into jars and topped up with syrup.

There was syrup left over --- I had feared not having enough, or I would have added less water.

It smelled lovely, so I poured a bit of the leftover warm syrup into a mug and sat down to enjoy drinking it slowly. It was so good! There was quite a bit left over --- far more than I had any intention of drinking in the afternoon --- and I thought, this is so lovely, I should save it in the fridge and warm it up some chilly night soon for a nightcap.

Then suddenly I thouhgt, why not can it? Then it won't have to be some night soon, it could be in the middle of winter or any time!

I found that by adding just a WEE bit more water I could get two cups, so I quickly scrubbed & warmed up two half-pint jars, filled them and added them to the canner with the pears (which had just reached a roiling boil).

I am thinking, what I have is wine, flavoured with fruit juice and sweetened with sugar, in a single-serving size --- just like a wine cooler, only it's for drinking WARM! ;-)

Anyway, before I apply a liquor licence and make a fortune marketing my brilliant creation [you can all say you knew me when], I thought I'd ask here and see if anyone can think of any reason I haven't thought of as to why it wouldn't be safe to can this pre-mulled wine and drink it later?

Zabby

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Comments (7)

CA Kate z9
16 years ago
With all the alcohol and sugar it probably would have kept in your fidge forever. LOL And, canning will be safe too, altho' I'm not sure what happened to the taste with the high heat of the canning process. Experimentation is good.
prairie_love
16 years ago
oooh, this does sound yummy and relaxing! I can't comment on the safety (although my limited experience would make me agree with you), but it does sound good.

Ann
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lpinkmountain
16 years ago
My local winery sells two types of mulled wine, apple and something called "Christmas" which is a spiced red wine. It is fantastic. I love mulled wine. However, I don't know about canning it. The kind I buy is bottled with a cork. Seems like you could make a spicy mulling syrup that could be used in wine, but also cider and tea! Somewhere I have a couple of books at home on making homeade "cordial" which as I recall are spiced, fruity alcoholic syrups.

We must have a psychic connection. Just last night I was having a glass of wine before bed, and wishing it was hot, mulled wine to take the chill out.
zabby17
Original Author
16 years ago
well, it's the same syrup that I have canned with pears in it, so I am having a hard time seeing it as not beeing safe without pears in it, but will do some further research & report back.

lpinkmountain, isn't it a fine thing on a cold, NOvember-y night? I have been thinking that one reason I don't make mulled wine more often (other than the time it takes for the flavours to simmer) is that it's the kind of thing we have one small glass of once in a long while, after an afternoon out or else before bed, so opening a whole bottle of wine when it's just the two of us seems wasteful. So it is fun to think of having a couple of half-pint jars of it ready to just heat up!

Zabby
annie1992
16 years ago
Zabby, I don't see why there would be any problem at all with canning that wine/syrup mixture. Fruit, high acid, sugar. I have several recipes for wine jelly that are basically the same thing, with added pectin.

Elery really likes wine, and I'm less fond of it but I'll bet I'd like it with the added fruit/sugar/spices.

OK, you've convinced me, I have to get some pears....

Annie
zabby17
Original Author
16 years ago
Annie, my husband (had to erase "BF" there and go back --- still getting used to this being married thing!) is like you --- he isn't as keen on wine but has a sweet tooth so the mulled stuff with fruitiness he does like.

Of course, it tastes best after a long, hard bout of canning pears in it. It may not be the same when I just open up a jar, warm, and drink... ;-)

Z
lpinkmountain
16 years ago
Here's something that might be fun to try, from one of my favorite out of print books, "The Herbal Pantry" by Emilie Tolley.

Pear Ginger Liqueur

8 very ripe pears, about 4 cups
2 inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced
4 cups vodka
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups sugar
1 cup water

Combine the pears, ginger, vodka and wine in a large jar with a tight-fitting cover. Place in a cool dark place to steep for one month. Crush the pears slightly with a wooden spoon or potato masher and steep for another 4 days. Strain the liquid, pressing and much juice as possible from the pears, then filter. Boil the sugar and water together in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved; cool, then gradually stir into the liquer, tasting as you go. When the liqueur has reached the desired level of sweetness, bottle and age for an additional 3 weeks in a cool, dark place.

You could then probably add this to taste to warm wine. Could also probably use red wine in the recipe.

Wine Warmers

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CA Kate z9

prairie_love

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