Winter Sangria Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does winter sangria taste like? ›

Served ice cold, but warm with spice, lightly fruity with a good hint of citrus and not too sweet. Its makes a great change to mulled wine for when you have friends over during the holidays, as you can mix up a few jugs in the morning and your good to go when they arrive. Be warned it's very Moorish!

Made with red wine, cranberry, orange, and rosemary.

Step 1In a large pitcher, mix wine, orange juice, brandy, and granulated sugar. Stir in oranges, apples, blueberries, strawberries, and cinnamon. Step 2Refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.

Sangria Recipe Tips

By chilling the sangria, you give the fresh fruits a chance to infuse the wine with sweet, fresh flavor. If you cut this time short, your sangria won't taste as fruity or as balanced. I let mine chill for at least 8 hours before serving, or overnight for the best flavor.

"When choosing a brandy, it is best to go toward a Spanish one made with Spanish grapes," said Trujillo. "I find Carlos I Solera Gran Reserva Brandy to be perfect for sangria." This brandy was aged in American oak casks and has notes of vanilla and caramel.

Wines made from Garnacha (aka Grenache) have lots of ripe cherry flavors, while Monastrell (aka Mourvèdre) have darker fruit flavors and black peppery notes. Inexpensive Tempranillos tend to be herbier and spicier and are a good choice as well.

Sangria, wine mixed with fruit, has always been legal and available. The issue comes about when Sangria is mixed with brandy or other spirits that raises the alcohol content of the drink. Alcohol-boosted Sangria was illegal because of a 1934 law formed post-prohibition to keep the percentage of alcohol low in drinks.

Here is a rough guideline: EU law says bottles from Spain are limited by law to less than 12% alcohol by volume (ABV). Bottles produced in the U.S. usually have between 5% and 15%. Sangria made with red wine is usually stronger than white wine punches.

Sangria contains all the properties and benefits of red wine. Thanks to its powerful antioxidants, polyphenols and flavonoids protect cells from aging. And also has resveratrol is a substance having the grapes that protects against inflammatory processes in the body.

1) Bottle of Garnacha or Pinot Noir

Garnacha comes from Spain, so it's my top pick for authentic Spanish sangria! Choose an inexpensive wine (under $20) that you would enjoy on its own. Why Garnacha and Pinot Noir? They're fruity, low-tannin red wines.

What fruit goes well in sangria? ›

Any juicy fruits (such as citrus, berries, grapes, pineapple, mango, kiwi, etc.) would be delicious. Add fresh ginger: If you would like to give your sangria a bit of a kick, muddle in a few slices of fresh ginger.

Fruits: strawberries, apples, oranges are an ideal combination for color, texture, and flavor. You can also use other fruit such as pineapples or peaches. These should be added just before serving. Soda: for that bit of festive fizz, top off the sangria with lemon-lime soda.

I prefer my red wine sangria with a white rum, but you can also use dark rum, brandy, or or an orange liqueur like triple sec or cointreau! Citrus: IMO, sangria isn't sangria without the citrus! This is what gives it that punchy flavor and takes away the “alcohol” flavor.

Tannins are naturally created during the winemaking process due to grape skins and seeds. Tannins tend to give the wine a bitter flavor. This is important because tannins do not taste good when they're cold, and sangria is typically served chilled.

Why You Should Refrigerate Red Sangria Overnight. Most sangria recipes call for the wine to rest overnight, or at the very least, for a few hours in the refrigerator. This lets the fruit infuse the wine, letting its juices get in the mix and sweeten up the drink.

Sangria is as sweet as you make it. As a general rule, it's going to be fruity, so start with a dry red wine to keep that sugar content down. Pick fruits that lean more tart than sweet (like Granny Smith apples rather than white peaches), add more acidic juice like lemonade, or simply don't add sugar to your mixture.

Sweetness Level - Typically Sangria is off-dry, although if you have a sweet tooth feel free to go a little heavier on the simple syrup. Acidity Level - There's lots of sharp red wine and beautiful fruit in Sangria, giving it a really zingy refreshing acidity.

Now for our honest thoughts on the flavors...

Pear Martini: "Not as sweet! You can actually taste the pear, which is quite pleasant, although I did detect a slight artificial cinnamon aftertaste." Sangria: "Nope. Artificial cinnamon and notes of tin.

CLASSIC FLAVOR PROFILES OF VARIETAL

Classically sangria has an orange liqueur like triple sec added to give an aromatic citrus note to the drink, but we have opted to use tangerine and lemon concentrates to give it a similar profile.