My first memories of Sangria date back to the early 80s while vacationing with friends in Benidorm, a seaside resort on the Costa Blanca coastline of Southern Spain. Sangria is traditionally served everywhere during the summer and throughout the whole year in the warmer southern province of Spain.

I really enjoyed my time sipping on this fruity punch, and it went down extremely easily. If you ever have a similar experience, WATCH OUT! It’s a sneaky one!

This refreshing party drink is served all around the world. It was first introduced in the states at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York and is served at almost every restaurant in the United States.

Sangria is named after the Spanish word Sangre, which means “blood” because of its rich, dark-red color. It can be made in red, white or even a sparkling wine. If you would like your Sangria to have more of a kick, you can add brandy, rum or vodka. There are so many recipes for Sangria that just about any concoction would work, and you don’t have to be a wine expert to do it.

New Age Sangria

I decided to make some Sangria this weekend while entertaining friends. I picked up a bottle of the New Age Rosé from Argentina blended with Malbec and Merlot. It turned out to be very tasty with lots of citrus flavors. The taste could be described as thirst quenching and tangy. I let it sit overnight in the fridge, and the fruit had fermented into the wine, giving it more of a sweet, subtle taste.

1 Lemon
½ Orange
½ Cup Blueberries
½ Cup Strawberries
½ Cup Raspberries
1 Bottle cold New Age Rosé
(Be sure to wash ALL the fruit!)

Cut lemons and oranges, and then squeeze them into a large pitcher, dropping in fruit as a garnish. Put blueberries in a plastic bag and crush them to break their skins and release their juice; add to pitcher. Cut strawberries into small pieces; add to pitcher with raspberries. Pour in bottle of New Age Rosé, stir, and let sit overnight in fridge. Pour into glasses with ice and enjoy.

Chambord Sangria

I love this Sangria that is made with sparkling wine and Chambord Liqueur. On the nose, it is blueberry pie in a glass with lots of creamy blueberry and vanilla flavors.

1 750ml Bottle of Segura Viudas Cava
4 Shots Chambord raspberry liqueur
2 Cups blueberries

Pour the sparkling wine into a pitcher, and then add in the Chambord and the blueberries. You want to serve this immediately, so the bubbles don’t diminish. Alternately, you can soak the Chambord and blueberries overnight first. This allows the flavor of the blueberries to get into the liquid. Directly add that to the sparkling wine right before you serve it.

Basic Sangria

This basic recipe for Sangria is easy and is available in a flyer at Nino Salvaggio’s.

1 Bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja reds, Zinfandel, Shiraz)
1 Lemon cut into wedges
1 Orange cut into wedges
2 TBSP sugar
1 Shot brandy
2 Cups ginger ale or club soda

Pour wine in the pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon and orange into the wine.
Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible), and add sugar and brandy. Allow to chill overnight. Add ginger ale or club soda just before serving. If you’d like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice.

Remember, there is no right or wrong way to make Sangria. Create your own recipe using all of your favorite fruits and beverages. Most of all, make it fun. Cheers & Salud!

Happy Sangria Making!

Kind Regards,

Simone