Wincarnis
British tonic wine derived from a contraction of 'wine' and Latin 'carnis' (from 'vinum carnis', meaning 'wine of meat').
Wincarnis is a fortified tonic wine, with an alcohol content of 14.5% ABV, that tastes much like sweet sherry. The brand name is a contraction of 'wine' and the Latin 'carnis' (from 'vinum carnis', meaning 'wine of meat'). Today, it is produced from a secret blend of grape juice, malt extracts, herbs, and spices, and no longer contains any meat. It remains popular in Jamaica and other former British colonies.
The drink was first created before 1881 by William Juby Coleman at Coleman and Co Ltd in Norwich, England. Originally called Coleman's Liebig's Extract of Meat and Malt Wine, it was advertised as containing Port Wine, Liebig's Extract of Meat, and malt extract, and was promoted as "the finest tonic and restorative in the world." Ownership eventually passed to Hedges & Butler, a part of Bass, which was bought in 1998 by Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd of Broxburn, Scotland. Wincarnis is now manufactured by Broadland Wineries in Norfolk and sold by Macleod.
Marketed as an aperitif, Wincarnis is used in different ways around the world. In Jamaica, it is commonly mixed with stout and milk. In Singapore, Malaysia, and the Gulf, new mothers drink it as a tonic. In the UK, it is well known among older people who take it when feeling unwell. Ian MacLeod Distilleries describes the wine as a blend of enriched wine and malt extract, infused with herbs and spices including gentian root, mugwort, angelica root, balm mint, fennel seed, coriander seed, peppermint leaves, cardamom seeds, and cassia bark. The company claims it is a natural tonic rich in B vitamins, with benefits for circulation and blood pressure.
The drink has appeared in popular culture. In the *Private Eye* spoof "Mrs Wilson's Diary," British prime minister Harold Wilson was portrayed as a Wincarnis drinker. It also featured in the Yorkshire Television sitcom *You're Only Young Twice*, where residents of Paradise Lodge often consumed it.
- Type
- Fortified tonic wine
- Origin
- Norwich, England
- Producer origin
- Coleman and Co Ltd (originally); now Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd
- Alcohol content
- 14.5%
- Key ingredients
- Grape juice, malt extracts, herbs and spices (including gentian root, mugwort, angelica root, balm mint, fennel seed, coriander seed, peppermint leaves, cardamom seeds, cassia bark)
- Known for
- Marketed as an aperitif and tonic; used by new mothers in Singapore, Malaysia and the Gulf; mixed with stout and milk in Jamaica
Lore & Background
Wincarnis was produced before 1881 by Coleman and Co Ltd in Norwich, England. It was devised by William Juby Coleman and originally called Coleman's Liebig's Extract of Meat and Malt Wine, advertised as made with Port Wine, Liebig's Extract of Meat and extract of Malt, and called 'the finest tonic and restorative in the world'. The name derives from a contraction of 'wine' and the Latin 'carnis' (from 'vinum carnis', meaning 'wine of meat'), though it no longer contains meat.
The brand was eventually owned by Hedges & Butler (part of Bass), which was acquired in 1998 by Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd of Broxburn, Scotland. Wincarnis is currently made by Broadland Wineries in Norfolk and sold by Macleod. It is now marketed as an aperitif wine, and its recipe is secret.
Reader's Guide
Wincarnis holds significance as a historical tonic wine with roots in 19th-century British patent medicine, originally containing meat extract. Its continued popularity in former British colonies—especially Jamaica, where it is mixed with stout and milk, and in Singapore, Malaysia and the Gulf, where it is taken by new mothers as a tonic—demonstrates its enduring cultural role. In the UK, it is well known by older people who use it as a tonic when unwell. The brand's marketing emphasizes its blend of enriched wine and malt extract with therapeutic herbs and spices, claiming benefits for circulation and blood pressure, and richness in Vitamin B complex. Its appearance in popular culture, such as the spoof 'Mrs Wilson's Diary' in Private Eye and the sitcom You're Only Young Twice, underscores its place in British social history. As a low-end fortified wine, it represents a category of accessible, medicinal-adjacent alcoholic beverages that have persisted into modern times.
Did You Know?
- In Jamaica, Wincarnis is mixed with stout and milk.
- It is taken by new mothers in Singapore, Malaysia, and the Gulf as a tonic.
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