One of the best parts about Christmas is getting to enjoy all of the seasonal treats that you usually can’t get your hands on throughout the rest of the year.
Chief among these items is mulled wine, a certified Christmas staple. But if you have no plans to head down to any of Scotland’s Christmas markets and would rather stay cosy inside it is easy enough to recreate at home.
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Tasting this year’s offerings with my partner and a friend – both of whom were trying the wine blind – I prepared each bottle based on the serving suggestions provided on the back, to give each their best chance to shine.
When the top contenders were narrowed down to two, I then removed all the extras and simply served warm to see which came out on top.
So without further ado, here are the best (and worst) supermarket mulled wines we tried for Christmas 2025.
Rich and spicy, Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Mulled Red Wine is a balanced drink with subtle spices, though it is on the sweeter end of the spectrum.
Overall, it has a good depth of flavour. It definitely tasted better when we tried heating over the stove rather than popping it in the microwave and it also has the most alcohol of any of the bottles we tried, with an ABV of 11%.
Unlike the next best drink, the three of us unanimously agreed this didn’t need anything extra to make it taste better (though the recommended slice of orange didn’t hurt).
We ranked it as the best drink of the evening – placing it in first, just as it was during our 2023 taste test.
5/5
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A late arrival, which means the testing was limited to myself, was Asda's Exceptional range mulled wine.
Smooth, well spiced and extremely balanced, this mulled wine was a surprise contender for the number one position.
It has an 11% ABV, as Sainsbury’s does, but it is less sweet which I found made it more drinkable overall.
The red berries really come through the high alcohol content makes it especially§ warming and easy to return to.
5/5
We also highly rated Tesco’s Glühwein by Felix Solis, which is made from a traditional Spanish wine.
It is another balanced and flavourful mulled wine, and when served as the bottle suggested, with a stick of cinnamon, star anise and a slice of orange, it very nearly beat out Sainsbury’s offering.
However, when we tried it just served warm and without extra spices, it tasted less Christmassy and more like a regular red wine. In fact, my friend – who jokingly describes himself as a “wine connoisseur” — pointed out that it is slightly Buckfast-esque, so do with that what you will.
Regardless, this is an excellent mulled wine which is likely down to the good base wine beneath the spices. 4.5/5
If you’re after a less spiced mulled wine, then a bottle of Tesco Vineyards could do you quite nicely.
Slightly syrupy, though with some nice citrussy notes, we decided that this mulled wine is very middle of the road or, as we put it on the night: “bog standard”.
More light than others on the list, it leans more towards a juice than a wine which could be the right drink for some. 3.5/5
Compared to some of the mulled wines we tried over the course of the evening, Waitrose’s is another favourite.
It is definitely one of the more drinkable mulled wines we tried, even when served exactly as directed: with a slice of orange, star anise and a cinnamon stick and my favourite Christmas carol, Carol of the Bells.
There is a nice alcoholic punch and even without the serving suggestions, there were stand out citrussy notes which helped it avoid being overly sweet and made it a lighter drink, if that is what you would prefer. 4/5
READ MORE: Christmas and New Year food and drink traditions in Scotland
Despite its festive appeal and cute bottle, Tesco’s Winter Warmer Gingerbread Mulled Wine falls flat.
Overwhelmingly syrupy – so much so that we compared it to an unfrozen cola ice pole – this might hit the right spot for someone with a serious sweet tooth, but we found it almost undrinkable.
1/5
Waitrose was the only supermarket to offer a non-alcoholic mulled wine, their Alcohol-Free Mulled Punch.
While you could definitely tell that it is missing something, that's to be expected for something alcohol free.
With that being said, overall it is a smooth, sippable drink and would serve those who prefer no or low alcohol well, especially served as suggested; warm, with a slice of orange, cinnamon stick and star anise. 4/5
READ MORE: Thirsty for more? Here are the best and worst supermarket proseccos for Christmas 2025
A more unusual offering is Waitrose’s Mulled Rosé.
While it lacks the depth of a traditional mulled wine, it isn't a bad offering and would certainly suit those who aren’t big on reds, with a lighter overall profile.
3.5/5
The worst supermarket mulled wine we tried is Lidl’s Baywood Mulled Wine.
When I opened the bottle, I already was feeling cautious about what was in store for us due to the offputting smell.
My fellow testers (fairly) told me off for "prejudicing" their experience with the drink by mentioning the smell, but very quickly agreed with me when the mulled wine was in hand.
Though it is described as having clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange notes, it is hard to detect any of that. It is artificially sweet and clearly attempting to feel “full”, as opposed to actually succeeding to be so.
My friend, who was in charge of the notetaking, summed up his sensible comments about the wine with a simple all-caps "DISGUSTING".
Despite the tempting price, this is one to avoid at all costs. 0/5
Buy it store.
