Starter
Austrian
Glühwein
Mulled red wine with cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and orange peel, served steaming in a ceramic cup at the Christmas markets. The smell of it at the Christkindlmarkt Salzburg is as much a part of Advent in Salzburg as…
The dish
What Glühwein actually is
Mulled red wine with cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and orange peel, served steaming in a ceramic cup at the Christmas markets. The smell of it at the Christkindlmarkt Salzburg is as much a part of Advent in Salzburg as anything you can see.
The Story
Glühwein arrives in a ceramic cup, often branded with the market's emblem, which you can keep or return for a deposit. The wine is heated with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, star anise, strips of orange peel, and sugar, then served steaming. You hold the cup with both hands. In December in Salzburg, with stone buildings and cobblestones around you, it is almost an archetype: the warmth of the cup against cold fingers, the spice smell cutting through the cold air.
The drink is not complicated, but its quality varies more than it should. The base wine matters: a thin, acidic red wine sweetened heavily to compensate tastes exactly like that. The best versions at the Salzburg markets use a proper wine base and restrain the sugar. Hellbrunn Advent Market, set in the baroque garden of Hellbrunn Palace south of the city, tends to hold a higher standard than the central market stands.
The Christkindlmarkt Salzburg on Domplatz is where most visitors encounter Glühwein first, surrounded by the cathedral facade and the castle above. The Mirabell Christmas Market in front of Mirabell Palace is smaller and calmer. Both are worth visiting; the Glühwein is the thread that connects them to the same city at the same time of year.
More to cook
Other Salzburg dishes
More dish guides and recipes from the region.
More to cook
Other Salzburg dishes
More dish guides and recipes from the region.
The dish
What Glühwein actually is
Mulled red wine with cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and orange peel, served steaming in a ceramic cup at the Christmas markets. The smell of it at the Christkindlmarkt Salzburg is as much a part of Advent in Salzburg as anything you can see.
The Story
Glühwein arrives in a ceramic cup, often branded with the market's emblem, which you can keep or return for a deposit. The wine is heated with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, star anise, strips of orange peel, and sugar, then served steaming. You hold the cup with both hands. In December in Salzburg, with stone buildings and cobblestones around you, it is almost an archetype: the warmth of the cup against cold fingers, the spice smell cutting through the cold air.
The drink is not complicated, but its quality varies more than it should. The base wine matters: a thin, acidic red wine sweetened heavily to compensate tastes exactly like that. The best versions at the Salzburg markets use a proper wine base and restrain the sugar. Hellbrunn Advent Market, set in the baroque garden of Hellbrunn Palace south of the city, tends to hold a higher standard than the central market stands.
The Christkindlmarkt Salzburg on Domplatz is where most visitors encounter Glühwein first, surrounded by the cathedral facade and the castle above. The Mirabell Christmas Market in front of Mirabell Palace is smaller and calmer. Both are worth visiting; the Glühwein is the thread that connects them to the same city at the same time of year.
More to cook
Other Salzburg dishes
More dish guides and recipes from the region.
Editor's table
Where we send friends
Restaurants, cafes, and bars Gerhard returns to. Curated, not comprehensive.
Pantry
What grows in the region
One last thing
“Save one evening for Salzburger Nockerl, and order it for two.”
It is the one Salzburg dish I have not shown you a photo of, because a photo cannot do it justice and the ones online are usually someone else’s. Three baked peaks of sweet soufflé dusted with sugar, meant to look like the snow on the city’s three hills. It collapses within minutes, so it is always made fresh and always shared. Get it at a proper restaurant, not a tourist trap, and watch it arrive still trembling. That is the meal people remember.
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Drink
Glühwein
Mulled red wine with cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and orange peel, served steaming in a ceramic cup at the Christmas markets. The smell of…
Main Course
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