Red Wine Sangria

Rich and refreshing this Red Wine Sangria is the perfect way to kick back and relax. Made with your favorite bottle of dry red wine, this red sangria recipe has a sweet orange flavor with a hint of cinnamon. Indulge in a glass and savor the aromatic flavors.

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Red Wine Sangria recipe

A classic summer favorite for anyone looking to unwind? Meet traditional sangria, a mix of wine, fruit, liqueur and your preferred sweetener.

This red wine sangria is blended to perfection with sweetness from honey, orange and apple but a hint of spice from cinnamon.

It’s the perfect cocktail for gab sessions with your best friends, lazy nights on the patio or fun bridal showers. It’s delicious and refreshing which makes it ideal for hot weather but the addition of cinnamon gives it a cozy feel as well.

Enjoy whipping up a batch of this easy sangria recipe any time of year! It’s especially delicious as a summer drink but it also works as a winter sangria. 

More red wine recipes: Red Wine Brownies • Mulled Wine • Red Wine Spritzer

Why you’ll love this recipe

Sangria is a must-have for warm nights, and you’ll love this particular recipe for a few reasons:

• Sangria is a big-batch cocktail which makes it perfect for parties or gatherings.
• It’s easy to customize the flavor based on the wine you choose and the type of apples.
• It’s light and fresh but full-bodied at the same time.

There is nothing this red sangria recipe doesn’t pair well with. Celebrations, cozy gatherings, large meals or just appetizers. It will never disappoint.

You can serve a sangria pitcher at summer dinner parties or as a festive drink for the holiday season. 

What is sangria?

Sangria is a Spanish wine-based beverage that typically incorporates fresh fruits, a liqueur and something sweet.

Though traditionally, it was made with red wine, you can make white wine sangria or even rosé wine sangria with those wines as a base, depending on your preference.

It is naturally sweet, spicy and fruity but you can customize the flavors depending on your ingredients.

The most common fruits for red sangria are oranges, cinnamon, apples and grapes. However, you can use any fruit you like which makes the flavor options unlimited.

Tools & glassware

One of the best parts about making your own red wine sangria is that you don’t need anything fancy!

You’ll want a large pitcher to mix it in as well as a wooden spoon for stirring. Likewise, a sharp pairing knife to slice up the fruits so that they release the most flavor. Oh, and a wine opener of course.

To serve the sangria, you can use a large wine glass, stemless wine glasses or traditional chatos glasses. Or just whatever you have on hand!

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Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this delicious red sangria recipe:

Dry red wine: You can use any wine you enjoy, like pinot noir or cabernet sauvignon. However, the most flavorful ones for this recipe are fruit, dry, full-bodied Spanish wines like Rioja, Tempranillo and Garnacha. 

Liqueur: The type of liqueur you choose will greatly alter the taste of the red sangria. Brandy, rum, and orange liqueur (like Grand Marnier or Cointreau) will all work. My personal favorite is brandy though because it adds such a beautiful depth and sweetness to the sangria.

Orange juice: Whatever you have in the fridge will work. However, we use a pulp-free version the most for texture preferences. Fresh is also delicious if you have time to juice an orange! You can also use another kind of fruit juice like lemon juice, apple juice or cranberry juice. 

Honey: This is optional depending on your flavor preferences. If you prefer a sweeter sangria, add it in — or even add more if you like. If you like a drier sangria, you can leave it out. Brown sugar, simple syrup or maple syrup will work as well.

Cinnamon sticks: You’ll want to use whole cinnamon sticks, not ground cinnamon, which will add a grainy texture.

Fruit: My recipe calls for red apples and oranges. However, adding in pears or peaches is a great way to switch up the flavors.

Something bubbly: Top off the glasses with some bubbles like ginger ale or club soda for some extra fizz. 

Variations and substitutions

Sangria is very much customizable depending on what you like.

Change the wine: You can use white wine and rosé wine when making sangria, too, but you might want to follow a different recipe.

Switch up ingredients: Change up the fruits, sweeteners, and even the juice to add a whole new flavor. In the fall, make apple cider sangria, with apple cider instead of orange juice, giving it a more comforting feel. So, play around a bit based on what you have on hand.

Non-alcoholic sangria: You can either opt for a non-alcoholic red wine to get the same flavor profile as the original, or use cranberry juice in place of the red wine. Then, go for apple juice instead of brandy. Though the non-alcoholic version won’t have the kick as this regular one does, it comes out a beautiful, fruity mocktail.

Fruit For sangria

Though many sangria recipes use oranges and apples to flavor the cocktail, they’re not the only options. 

Other fun fruits to try include:

• grapes
• peaches
• pears
• lemons and limes
• plums
• blood oranges
• strawberries, blueberries or blackberries

Play around with flavor combinations you already love and fresh fruits you have on hand to make a completely custom sangria recipe to sip on.

Switching it up with different kinds of fresh citrus and seasonal fruits is one of my favorite things. Even some fresh ginger would add a nice kick to a sangria recipe.

How To Make Red Wine Sangria

For the classic red wine sangria recipe, it’s important to take care in measuring out the wine-to-liqueur ratio. This way the sangria flavors are perfectly balanced and not too potent from the liqueur.

In a large pitcher, combine the bottle of wine, orange juice, your liqueur of choice and honey. Stir until well combined.

Add orange slices, diced apple and a cinnamon stick or two. 

Add ice cubes and serve right away, or chill the pitcher of sangria in the fridge until ready to serve.

Serve over ice in wine glasses or rocks glasses, being sure to spoon a few pieces of fruit into each glass. 

Tips & tricks

The best wine to use are Spanish red wines like Rioja, Tempranillo and Garnacha. But you can use any bottle of red wine, preferably a dry one like Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir. 

You’ll want to use fresh fruit in the recipe. Frozen fruit will get too squishy and melt, which will dilute the flavor.

As much as possible, use really ripe fruit. This way, you get sweeter notes in the sangria.

You’ll want to serve it over ice with a few pieces of sliced fruit in the glass for presentation.

What to serve with Red Sangria

This classic red sangria recipe pairs well with spicy foods like spicy bacon roasted chickpeas or spicy southern cheese straws.

It also goes nicely with any red meat like steak or Spanish tapas such as pan con tomate. 

If you’re feeling snacky, pairing it with something fruity orange poppy seed cake will compliment the fruit base.

FAQ

More sangria recipes

• Margarita Sangria
• Citrus Watermelon Sangria
• Frozen Sangria