4-8 pears, you want them to not be too soft. Not rock hard, but you need them firm enough to withstand their winey jacuzzi. Peel them with a potato peeler. Use a small paring knife to cure the pears from underneath. If necessary cut a sliver so that the pears can stand upright.
about 2/3 a bottle of wine (your basic soft red that goes for about 10$ a pop, will do perfectly here)
1 cup white sugar
1 sliced lemon
2-3 cinnamon sticks, 3-4 cloves, and about a quarter of a nutmeg(I lay the nutmeg on my cutting board and whack it with a small heavy saucepan.)
Combine everything in a saucepan. bring to the boil, Lower the heat and occasionally turn the pears so that they get equal color on all sides. After about 10 minutes, remove the pears with a slotted spoon and set aside. Remove the spices and citrus and allow the wine to cook down into a syrup. When you have about 1/2 cup of winy syrup(which I think I might use as the name of my mid life crisis, punk rock group) drizzle it over your pears. Serve at room temp. Accept the applause graciously!