There's a moment every winter when the cold stops being charming and starts being personal. That's when you make mulled wine. Not because it's fancy, but because standing over a pot of simmering spiced wine while the whole kitchen fills with cinnamon and orange is the closest thing to a hug you can get from a stove.
This version leans into the warm spices — cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom, fresh ginger — and adds apple cider for a little sweetness and body. The goji berries are a quiet twist: they plump up in the warm wine and add a subtle tartness that keeps everything from tipping into dessert territory.
You can simmer it for 15 minutes and call it done, or let it go low and slow for up to 3 hours if you want the spices to really settle in. Either way, ladle it into glasses, drop in a cinnamon stick and a star anise, and settle in for the evening.
Serves: 4–6 • Prep: 10 min • Cook: 15 min • Total: 25 min