Hello there and thanks for stopping by!
I’m Liesl, the founder of The Mulled Wine Co, a highly personal venture born out of my mixed heritage and the lifestyle that my family and I enjoy on the NSW Central Coast.
I was born in Australia and at the age of 5 moved with my mother to a small Swedish town called Leksand. Many years and destinations later in 2005, I returned to Australia to visit my Dad and ended up falling in love with my partner Nick and making the journey back to my orginal home. Nick and I live happily with our two boys August and Oden in the beautiful suburb of Avoca Beach, an hour North of Sydney.
Having a mixed background, moving around a lot growing up, always missing 'the other' side, can be hard. It's not always easy to see the beauty of where you are when you also long for the 'other'.
I miss the dry cold air slapping me in the face and freezing my eye lashes as I walk out the door. But over there I miss the warm Nor’easter caressing my face, the pungent smells of the bush and the heaving hum of life from dawn till dusk, and even through the night. Australia is wild and alive. Sweden is still and peaceful. The snow brings silence and when the long summer days reappear at the end of a long winter, they are gentle and mild and magical.
I am both places, and a combination of the two.
After 19 years back in Australia, however, there is one thing I still can't get used to. I probably never will. It is Christmas in the heat. As much as I love salads and cold meats, a big game of backyard cricket and even the beach on Christmas Day, there are a few elements missing. To me, Christmas is still, reverent, warm and safe. It is full of love, too much food and it smells like cinnamon, cloves and cardamon.
Enter: the mulled wine. I could've resigned to the fact that there was no mulled wine to be bought - or I could learn to make it. And I could've complained about how it was too hot to enjoy it - or I could drink it chilled or as is. And so that’s just what we do in our little Swaussie family and we wouldn't have it any other way!
How will you drink yours? There are no rules, just as long as you enjoy it!
Liesl x