London’s first mulled wine festival launches

The first ever festival dedicated to mulled wine is coming to the capital this week celebrating the warm spiced wine, which has been drunk since ancient times.

As reported by the Evening Standard, the mulled wine festival will take place in Covent Garden’s east piazza between 12-14 November.

Fans of the warm spiced wine will have the chance to try twists on the festive tipple by local restaurants including Gordon Ramsay’s Heddon Street, Chez Antoinette, L’atypique Organic Wines and Smith and Sinclair. Those who aren’t fans can enjoy glasses of cider and mead instead.

As part of the festival, over 100,000 Christmas lights will decorate the market hall along with chandeliers hanging with mistletoe and a giant Christmas tree. The mulled wine festival runs from midday until 9pm each day.

The world “mulled” means heated and spiced. Recipes for mulled claret date as far back as the 1500s and typically included honey and cinnamon, though it is thought the drink was also used in ancient Egypt for medicinal purposes.

The Victorians were big fans of mulled wine – the Smoking Bishop, made from heating up Port, red wine, lemons, oranges, sugar and spices in a saucepan, makes an appearance in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.