Combine the wine with sugar, honey, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom and lemon juice in a saucepan and place over medium flame.
While the wine comes to a boil, carefully peel the pears and remove their core by scooping out the inside with a teaspoon.
Place the peeled pears in the hot wine then reduce the heat and cover the surface of the wine with a piece of baking paper.
Cook on low heat for 40 minutes or until the pears are soft, but not mushy and look slightly translucent.
Let them cool in the syrup before serving.
Notes
There are multiple ways to serve these red wine poached pears: simple, wrapped in puff pastry dough or over a hazelnut biscuit, topped with a rich chocolate sauce. All three ways are described below.