Traditional sangria can be a time-consuming pain to make, as it should “sit” for a long period of time (up to a few days) to get the most flavor from the ingredients. But, I don’t always have a few days to wait when I’m making sangria, especially around the holidays when I am extra busy. Over the years, I have come up with an easy red wine sangria recipe that takes only five minutes to make.
I don’t make a lot of food for holiday parties, as everyone else already makes so much, so I have become the “go-to” for this tasty, crowd-pleasing cocktail. It’s lighter, fruitier and spicier than traditional red wine, so most people can enjoy it, regardless of their affinity for red wine.
FAQ About Sangria
What is Sangria?
Sangria, which means “blood,” is a Spanish cocktail, which traditionally consisted of red wine and chopped fruit, often with other ingredients, like sugar or spirits, like brandy or triple sec. (Source #1; Source #2)
However, I have had white sangria and rose sangria as well. The trick is pairing the type of wine with complimentary fruits.
How would you describe Sangria?
Sangria is a sweet, spicy and fruity iced wine drink. It tastes like a cold fruit juice, with added fruit and herbaceous seasonings.
What is a good red sangria wine?
Traditionally, Spanish red wines that are more fruity and have fewer tannins make for the best sangria. Tempranillo and garnacha generally work well. There’s no need to get anything expensive, as the wine will become overpowered by the fruit anyway.
However, I have a “secret” wine that I believe gives the best sangria results in the shortest amount of time. That is: boxed or jug wine that is labeled as sangria.
Now, don’t scoff at bulk wine as “cheap wine” just yet! I have a fairly discerning wine palate and I truly believe this works well. Sangria is meant to be light, fruity and juicy! Bulk wine labeled as sangria already tastes as if you had marinated fruit in it for 24-48 hours, saving you tons of time and effort.
(Check Barnivore for vegan sangria options. Skinny Girl and Sutter Home are good options!)
Keep reading to learn how I make sangria with boxed sangria wine.
Does sangria have to sit overnight?
No. Especially if you are using the boxes sangria wine, sangria does not have to sit overnight to embody great fruit flavors. However, if you are not using wine labeled as sangria, it will taste better if it sits overnight.
How do you serve sangria?
Sangria tastes best with ice. I mix it in a pitcher or dispenser with ice, and I also serve it over ice. It’s sort of like a fruit punch.
How long does sangria last?
Sangria can last 3-5 days total, depending on how the fruit in it appears. If the fruit is starting to appear mushy, it’s time to discard the sangria.
How to Make Red Wine Sangria
Easy Red Wine Sangria Recipe
This tasty, crowd-pleasing cocktail is lighter, fruitier and spicier than traditional red wine. It can be made both vegan with vegan wine in just 5 minutes.
16
servings5
minutesIngredients
One 3L box of red sangria wine (or 4 750 mL bottles of red sangria wine, cheap and fruity tempranillo or cheap and fruity garnacha)
3-4 oranges
3-4 red apples
4-5 cinnamon sticks (this is another one of my tricks to bring out more flavor in the fruit and wine); plus more for garnishing glasses
Generous amount of ice
Directions
- Pour the wine over a generous amount of ice in a pitcher or drink/dispenser.
- Chop the apples and oranges and add them to the pitcher or drink dispenser. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix the fruit in well.
- Add the cinnamon sticks and stir again to mix everything well.
- Serve over ice with a cinnamon stick garnish and enjoy!
Notes
- Check Barnivore for vegan sangria options. Skinny Girl and Sutter Home are good options!
Need Cinnamon Sticks Fast?
If you don’t want to hunt down the spices at your local grocery store, you can buy easily buy them on Amazon below:
Book Pairings for Easy Red Wine Sangria Recipe
Since I pair my lifestyle posts with books (my tagline is “where books meet lifestyle), I am pairing this post with the Wine Folly books (The Essential Guide to Wine and Magnum Edition: The Master Guide — a James Beard Award Winner). If you have any interest in wine, these are the absolute best and easiest to learn from. They explain wine through pictures, charts and graphs, which makes it so much easier. They are really fun to read and to have on hand:
Pin this easy red wine sangria recipe to Pinterest because it’s the easiest crowd-pleasing cocktail!
Related Wine & Cocktail Posts
For more like this post, check out my post on the best wine and cocktail recipe books and my gift guide for wine lovers.
And check out my other vegan cocktail recipe for vegan mulled wine.
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