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The holidays offer a great opportunity for gathering family and friends, to remember old times and make new memories. And since it’s a celebratory time, it’s inevitable that there will be some drinking going on — a toast with Champagne, wine with dinner, etc. Wine is also a popular host/hostess gift. But after you’ve received the umpteenth bottle of Merlot, what do you do with all the wine? FN Dish has the perfect solution for you.

How about mulled wine? Just think about it. Unless you have a wine cellar to store the bottles, you probably won’t have the space to keep them. And how many times have you put a bottle of wine in your pantry only to discover next Christmas it’s still there? So instead of letting those bottles gather dust, make mulled wine. It’s the perfect way to extend your holiday entertaining into the New Year. Plus it’s a great solution for using up cheap wine (i.e., inexpensive wine — you wouldn’t want to use a $50 bottle for mulled wine).

Try out some of these recipes for mulled wine (including a refreshing dessert):

• My Mama’s Marvelous Mulled Wine
• Ina Garten’s Mulled Wine
• Bobby Flay’s Mulled Red Wine Sangria
• Food Network Magazine’s Mulled Wine
• Food Network Magazine’s Mulled Wine Granita

For more holiday drink ideas, see Food Network’s Drinks for Entertaining gallery.

Do you have a favorite recipe for mulled wine? Or do you have a different solution for using holiday wine? Leave a comment.