Perfect Red Sangria

This is my recipe for perfect, refreshing, delicious red sangria. Made with red wine, orange juice, and fresh fruit, this sangria is perfect for celebrating or sharing with friends.

Who’s up for a party? I am! Actually, I always am. And at my parties, there better always be a yummy red sangria, thank you very much.

What is red sangria?

Red sangria is a fruity, red wine-based beverage that originated in Spain and Portugal. Traditionally made with Grenache wine because of its Spanish origins, you can really use any light and fruity red wine with lower tannins you have on hand. Pinot Noir works great, too! You shouldn’t invest in great wine – it’s absolutely fine to use a cheap (but still good tasting) one for this. Historically speaking, that’s the point of sangria: to let the other flavors blend with the wine and make this drink delicious. But what gives sangria that delicious kick? It’s the additions of fruit, spices, juice, and sometimes other liqueurs!

Here’s how to make the best sangria ever.

How to make red sangria

Making red sangria is incredibly simple. Just pour all the wine into a pitcher and add fruit, spices, and other liqueurs, if desired. I personally love using berries, like strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, but oranges, apples, and even pears taste delicious, too.

Whole spices, like whole cinnamon sticks and anise pods, add great flavor (1-2 of each usually does the trick). Or, feel free to add a dash of ground spices, too. Cardamom, nutmeg, and black pepper are very tasty. Feel free to experiment with different blends to figure out what you like!

Chill the sangria

The most important thing to achieving perfect and delicious red sangria is allowing it to chill for several hours so the flavors have time to marinate. I recommend allowing refrigerating it for at least 4 hours.

Now let’s get this party started!

Tips for delicious red sangria

• Use a light, fruity wine with low tannins, such as pinot noir or Grenache.
• Just before serving, you can add up to 1 cup of cold sparkling water/club soda to make a sparkling sangria with a more subdued wine flavor.
• If you prefer a sweeter sangria, you can make a simple sugar syrup, chill it, and add it to the sangria. To make the sugar syrup, mix together 2-4 tablespoons sugar with an equal amount of hot water and stir until sugar dissolves.
• If you want to try warm sangria, place all ingredients in a large saucepan after it’s chilled for several hours. Heat on medium-low, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot but not boiling. Don’t let it boil or else the alcohol will evaporate.

More delicious drinks you’ll enjoy

• Mulled Apple Cider
• White Chocolate Chai Latte
• European-Style Hot Chocolate
• Orange Spiced Apple Cider

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Red Sangria Recipe

How to make the best red sangria recipe! Using fruits and spices, the recipe is easy to personalize to suit your own taste. Serve it cold or warm.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Chill time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes

Calories 140 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine (cheap is fine as long as it tastes good!)
• ½ – 1 cup (120-240 ml) orange juice (preferably freshly squeezed)*
• ¼ cup orange liqueur (60 ml) , optional
• 2 tablespoons brandy , optional
• 400-500 g (3-4 cups) thinly sliced or cubed fruit of your choice (apples, pears, peaches, halved grapes, hulled and halved strawberries, orange, lemon, lime)
• Spices of your choice: 2 cinnamon sticks , 2 star anise pods, 3 whole cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, whole black pepper

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients in a large pitcher and stir. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to let the flavors blend. Don’t skip that step – it makes all the difference in taste. Just before serving, stir sangria and pour into glasses with ice cubes. Spoon fruit slices into each glass. Sangria can be kept, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.