- Wednesday 11 December 2013
- My Account
- Logout
- Register
- Login
Postcard from... Spain
The favourite German maxim: “Trust is good but control is better” is being applied with particular vigour at Berlin’s Christmas markets. The latest item to come under scrutiny is Glühwein, the omnipresent mulled wine which is the hallmark of every Yuletide fair. Peter Scheib, Berlin’s official wine inspector, recently returned from a Christmas market mulled wine sampling tour and concluded: “At times I am glad that I can spit out this stuff like mouthwash at the dentist.”
He said that more than one in 10 Glühwein sellers heated their mulled wine to above the strict 70 degrees Celsius limit. He found them guilty of dishing out a brownish inferior-tasting drink which lacked punch because most of the alcohol had been boiled off. Yet overheating is not the gravest offence.
According to Mr Scheib, the sale of ready-made supermarket mulled wine, which comes in 2 litre bottles, is the ultimate sin. Not only does the stuff taste synthetic, anyone who buys it is almost certainly being ripped off. Supermarket Glühwein costs a little as €1 per bottle, but at Christmas markets it is on sale for €3.50 a mug.
Mr Scheib advises drinkers to check with stall-holders they are buying the real thing. According to the EU’s guidelines the real Glühwein is as follows: “An aromatised drink obtained exclusively from red or white wine and flavoured mainly with cinnamon and or cloves”. The alcohol content must range from 7 to 14.5 per cent and failure to comply to such standards can result in a €1,000 fine.
peopleContenders for Time magazine's Person of the Year are a mixture of the good, the bad and the holy
newsAs the world remembers Mandela the hero, the prison where he spent 27 years seems all the more brutal
tvSteven Moffat reveals the actor was dying to take on the role of the Time Lord and says he is excited to see what he will do with the character
sportBayern Munich 2 Manchester City 3: City come from two down to beat reigning European Champions
arts + ents... and a chance to paint Booker Prize winning author Hilary Mantel
danceUnder Tamara Rojo's inspired direction, it seems possible that it could challenge the dominance of the Royal Ballet. We meet some established names and rising stars
travelDiscover Uruguay's jet-set beach resort, an Atlantic enclave with plenty of art and culture to explore on the side
-
The ten coldest places on Earth
-
Sir Ian McKellen hits back at Damian Lewis' 'fruity actor' claims
-
Kenyan politician Mike Sonko left red-faced after photoshopping himself next to Nelson Mandela
-
Krokodil in Mexico? Teenager hospitalised after 'injecting drug into her genitals'
-
Nelson Mandela memorial: Cheers, jeers and a masterclass from Barack Obama that stole the show
- 1 Mountain goats' miraculous escape from avalanche captured in dramatic video footage
- 2 It’s shameful that our universities have accepted gender segregation under pressure from the most oppressive religious fanatics
- 3 Sir Ian McKellen hits back at Damian Lewis' 'fruity actor' claims
- 4 Kenyan politician Mike Sonko left red-faced after photoshopping himself next to Nelson Mandela
- 5 Selfie at funeral: Cameron squeezes in on Obama snap at Mandela memorial
- < Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- Next >
Five things to do for a fiver in London this December
This Christmas, you can park in one of NCP’s ten most popular London car parks for just £5 for six hours of parking at selected times during weekdays and the weekend.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Independent Dating
iJobs General
Financial and Commercial Analyst
£35000 - £44000 per annum + outstanding company benefits: Pro-Recruitment Grou...
Digital Marketing Executive, London
£25k per anunum: Charter Selection: A $2 Billion automotive information group ...
Customer Associate - Investment Transfers- Temp (Kent)
attractive: Citifocus: Highly prestigious Investment Management house based in...
Sales and Business Development Manager
£30,500 per annum: London-Tokyo Property Services Ltd.: Central London based J...