German Erdbeer Bowle (Strawberry Wine Punch) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 kg fresh strawberries
100 g powdered sugar
1/2 bunch lemon balm leaves (or lemon rind, see note in instructions)
4 (3/4 liter) bottles white wine
1 (3/4 liter) bottle champagne

Preparation

2-3 hours before your guests arrive, wash the strawberries,drain well and pat dry.
Halve the berries, then place them in the bottom of large punch bowl or glass pitcher.
Sprinkle the powdered sugar over them.
Rinse the lemon balm leaves and shake them dry.
Pluck the leaves from their stems and add them to the berries.
Pour one bottle of wine over the berry mixture, cover, and cool in the fridge.
When the guests have arrived, add the remaining wine and the champagne.
Lemon balm is an herb in the mint family common in Europe; if unavailable then use a vegetable peeler to cut about 5-6 long narrow curls of lemon rind in place of the balm (remove before serving).