Ignored the ban and received a fine: a man from Bavaria made a decisive contribution to the history of mulled wine

Created: 11/22/2022, 4:58 p.m

By: Katarina Amtmann

The history of mulled wine goes back thousands of years.

© IMAGO / Andreas Berheide

Mulled wine was created thousands of years ago, but a man from Bavaria changed the history of the popular winter drink.

Munich - Christmas is approaching.

In Bavaria it became wintry in large parts in November, snow covered the landscape.

In the Free State, the Christmas markets are slowly opening, such as the Forest Christmas in Erlangen or the famous Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt.

Mulled wine has been around for thousands of years - but has only been available in bottles for decades

For many people, a nice hot mulled wine is part of the right Christmas market feeling.

However, very few people are likely to know the origins of the drink.

While the history goes back thousands of years, bottled sales have only been around for a few decades.

And for the latter, a man from Bavaria is responsible for ignoring a ban.

The “Crazy Story” account posted this curious story on Twitter.

Crazy Story Twitter Account

Behind the account is Joachim Telgenbüscher

He describes himself there as a historian, journalist, blogger, cyclist and nerd

He is a journalist with Geo Epoch

Telgenbüscher was a candidate for several quiz shows, including Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, the quiz duel or the ZDF Superchampion 

Augsburger bottles mulled wine in 1956 - in violation of a law

The mulled wine story happened in 1956. “Rudolf Kunzmann violated the law in his Augsburg winery.

He mixes spices, sugar and wine, bottles it and sells it as mulled wine," the Crazy Story account tweeted.

"Since sugar is forbidden as an ingredient according to the wine law, the mulled wine pioneer K. has to pay a fine." The Kitchenstories website or the Kunzmann winery itself also report on the anecdote.

Apparently Joachim Telgenbüscher, the man behind the "Crazy Story" account, is not a mulled wine fan, because he adds: "Mulled wine is of course still a crime, despite the change in the law."

Mulled wine story causes laughter on Twitter

"Aslant.

When you read old Bible stuff, it was normal to flavor the wine,” one commented.

“Middle Ages and far beyond too.

If you know where 'wine' was grown in those days, then you also know why that was necessary.

I think the border to vinegar was fluid,” someone replies to a laughing smiley.

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Video: The emergence of mulled wine

All news and stories from Bavaria can now also be found on our brand new Facebook page Merkur Bayern.

Mulled wine: "The Plörre should still be a punishable offense today"

"You should still pay a fine for most mulled wine that is offered for sale today," jokes one person in the comments.

Another Twitter user sees it very similarly.

"It wasn't all bad in the past... the slop should still be a punishable offense today." And a third person wishes: "If only they had taken action back then..."