It’s fireworks weekend, and we’re firmly into the mulling season. As with everything to do with wine, that tends to elicit a certain sniffiness, often along the lines of: “Why wouldn’t you just drink a decent glass of red?” But I have to confess I actually like the stuff. After all, as I said last week, it’s all about hygge at this time of year.
Much as when you use wine in other cooking, there are some basic guidelines, my top tip being to use one you would actually be prepared to drink straight, though inevitably that’s controversial, too. I’ve lost count of the number of people who say it’s fine to cook with, and presumably mull, a corked wine, but why risk it when the other ingredients come at a cost? Certainly not one that’s badly corked, anyway. If no one else in the family can detect it, I guess you might just about get away with it, but I still wouldn’t risk it. Don’t use the dregs of a bottle you’ve had open for a couple of weeks, either, or an elderly wine that is almost certainly past it.
