M&S’s new offering needs minimal seasoning and maximal company to bring on the festive spirit
For the same reason you wouldn’t enjoy a protein shake at your anniversary dinner, you wouldn’t enjoy mulled wine at any time other than Christmas. Mulled wine is a drink that is tied to a specific moment. It’s not enough for the weather to be cold, grey and rainy (god knows we experience that often enough in the UK), it needs to feel festive – preferably in the presence of at least one adult dressed as an elf.
In my head, mulled wine is a sort of goth sangria, a concoction that is flavoured, sweetened and spiced into something else entirely. This is also why people who don’t think of themselves as wine drinkers tend to enjoy mulled wine and sangria. It is stripped of expectation, of denomination and circumstance. It’s just plain fun.
