With a sharp vegetable peeler, remove four wide strips of zest—orange part only, no white pith—from 1 of the oranges. Set aside.

Cut a slice off both ends of each orange so it will stand upright. Stand each orange on a cutting surface and, using a sharp knife, remove all the peel and white pith by slicing from top to bottom all the way around the orange, following the contour of the fruit. Slice peeled oranges crosswise ¼ inch thick.

Discard the first and last slices if they seem to be mostly membranes. Remove the small bit of white pith at the center of each slice.

Arrange fruit in a serving bowl (preferably glass or crystal) in layers.

In a saucepan, combine sugar, wine, cinnamon stick, clove, orange zest and 1 cup water. Smash the ginger with the flat side of a large knife and add it to the saucepan.

Bring to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Adjust heat to maintain a simmer and cook until mixture is reduced to 1½ cups, about 10 minutes.

Strain syrup to remove spices and zest. Pour hot syrup over oranges.

Cool to room temperature, then cover and chill for several hours or overnight.

To serve, divide oranges and syrup among 6 serving bowls.

VARIATION

Orange and dried cranberry compote: Substitute navel oranges for the blood oranges. Add ½ cup dried cranberries, sprinkling them between the orange layers. Over the course of several hours, the cranberries will tinge the syrup a pretty rose.