LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2023

MULL IT OVER

RIBEIRA ROSADO P. 237

Fortify It! There are dozens of regional variations and twists on Vinho Quente, Portugal’s answer to mulled wine, but the farther north you travel, the more likely you are to encounter Porto Quente, which is made with the country’s famous fortified wine, port. Since the process of fortification (which was invented to improve the shelf life of wine) often involves the addition of a little sugar, mulled port recipes gener ally call for a little less sugar and, on occasion, a splash of Portugal’s gorgeous pink “rosado” wine, which we’ve used here.

TIP The spices will

only get more pro nounced as it mulls. Anyone who likes their mulled wine packed with flavour might want to exper iment with longer steeping times, including letting it cool for a few hours and then reheating.

DID YOU KNOW? Brazil’s mulled wine is also called Vinho Quente but has evolved into an entirely different recipe, one that calls for local fruits and the country’s famous sugar cane spirit, cachaça.

68 FOOD & DRINK HOLIDAY 2023