Well, it’s the return of Christmas markets ! With all their magic, the small stalls of homemade products, food, but also… hot wine ! Also called mulled wine in German, this typical winter drink is nothing more than a lightly cooked wine with a strong flavor. Many different spices are often added to give it flavor and it is drunk very hot. But its effects are often underestimatedespecially in the cold of winter when you want to get back behind the wheel…
Indeed, for some a single cup almost allows you to reach the limit of the legal alcohol content on the road!
How much alcohol in mulled wine?
Mulled wine contains between 7 and 14.5% alcohol et it spreads faster in the blood compared to cold drinks. The digestive organs are more supplied with blood due to the heat and thealcohol is absorbed more quickly. The high sugar content of the drink also has a strong accelerating effect.
As a reminder, the blood alcohol level depends on your body weight and the alcohol content of the drink. With a strict legal limitthat is, a blood alcohol level greater than or equal to 0.5 g/litre of blood (i.e. 0.25 mg of alcohol per liter of exhaled air), a large glass of mulled wine is enough to reach this limit for small size. A second cup and you will immediately exceed the authorized limit! It is therefore better don’t drive after visiting a Christmas market with mulled wine.
