Mulled white wine 'Perfectly fit for purpose'

Mulled wine is a drink tied to a moment. It's not enough for the weather to be cold, grey and rainy, it needs to feel festive - preferably in the presence of at least one adult dressed as an elf.

- Hannah Crosbie

In my head, mulled wine is a sort of goth sangria, a concoction that is flavoured, sweetened and spiced into something else entirely. This is also why people who don't think of themselves as wine drinkers tend to enjoy mulled wine and sangria.

It is stripped of expectation and circumstance. It's just plain fun.

But what of mulled white wine? Marks & Spencer is offering it on the high street for the first time this year, perhaps as a novelty product, perhaps to test its popularity.

Mulled white wine has in fact been enjoyed at parties as far back as the Roman empire. But it's certainly a curiosity for this year's festive high street offering.