It is freezing cold in Korea right now in the middle of winter. ❄️ With this weather, I was starting to feel a bit under the weather, with chills and signs of a cold coming on. At times like this, nothing beats something hot!
So, I ordered a Vin Chaud (Mulled Wine / Sangria) making kit from ‘Coupang,’ Korea’s leading online shopping site. These convenient DIY kits that you can easily make at home are super popular in Korea right now.
- Under the weather 몸 상태가 좋지 않은, 컨디션이 나쁜
The price was only 9,000 KRW (approx. $6.50 USD)! It says it contains enough ingredients for one bottle of wine. Let’s look inside:
- Dried slices of orange, lemon, apple, and grapefruit.
- A spice trio: Cloves, Star Anise, and 2 Cinnamon sticks.
It’s really packed, right? Since it uses dried fruit, it’s easy to store and I loved that there was no prep work needed.
🍷 Scoring Cheap Wine at K-Mart ‘E-mart’
The key to Vin Chaud is the wine! I ran to ‘E-mart,’ a major Korean hypermarket chain.
Honestly, I don’t know much about wine taste. 😅 Since I was going to boil it with fruit and spices anyway, I just picked the cheapest one available. I scored a bottle for an amazing 4,900 KRW (approx. $3.50 USD)! I felt like I got such a good deal.
Okay, ingredients are ready. Let’s make it!
- Add Ingredients: Dump all the dried fruits and spices from the kit into a pot.
- I sliced up some fresh tangerines and apples I had lying around the house and added them in. (I figured adding fresh fruit would make it taste even better!)
- Pour Wine: Pour the whole bottle of budget wine right in.
- Simmer: Bring it to a boil on high heat. Once it starts boiling, lower the induction heat to level ‘3’ and let it simmer gently for about 20 minutes. (This is the time for the alcohol to evaporate and the delicious flavors to blend!)
While it was simmering, the whole house filled with the sweet smell of grapes and fragrant cinnamon. It made me feel so good—like I was at a European Christmas market!
A Magical Cup to Melt away the Chills
I poured the finished warm Vin Chaud into mugs and shared it happily with my husband. As the sweet, tangy, and hot Vin Chaud went down, it felt like my frozen body was just melting away.
After drinking a cup, I slept really well, and the next morning my body felt so refreshed! It felt like my cold symptoms had completely vanished.
