Easy Red Wine Sangria
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It is time to start planning holiday parties and get-togethers! This Red Wine Sangria is made with your favorite sweet red wine, orange-flavored liqueur, pomegranate juice, and fruit. It’s delicious and easy to drink.
I promise this Sangria will be the star at your next bash. The best part? You can make it ahead of time so you’ll have one less task to worry about on the day of your get-together.
Easy Red Wine Sangria Recipe
Are you looking for an amazing adult beverage that everyone will enjoy for your holiday celebrations? This Red Wine Sangria Recipe that I’m sharing with you today has everything you’d want and expect from a flavor-packed boozy sangria.
Sweet red wine and an orange-flavored liqueur provide a delicious base for the mellow and juicy overtones of pomegranate juice and freshly sliced apple and orange.
If you are someone who likes your sangria on the strong side, adding some vodka to the mix will do the trick to make your sangria extra boozy.
Why Make this Red Wine Sangria Recipe
Easy to make – This Sangria recipe requires minimal prep time (not counting the time it needs to rest in the fridge) and is made with just a few ingredients. No simmering or stirring – just wine, liqueur, juice, and fruit.
Tastes delicious and is easy to drink – This Sangria recipe is based on sweet red wine, orange liqueur, and fruit. It’s light in flavor, with no additional added spices, (some sangrias are infused with spices, like cinnamon, cloves, and anise – which I think can sometimes be overpowering.) so everyone will enjoy the sangria. Even newbie wine drinkers who don’t like red wine will love the favor of this sangria. (And yes, I am talking about myself here, lol)
More Delicious Cocktails You’ll Love
- Pineapple and Mango Rum Cocktail
- Mango Peach Moscato Cocktail
- Sparkling Summer Peach Sangria Recipe
- Pink Moscato Wine Slushie
Ingredients for this Red Wine Sangria Recipe + Notes
(Ingredients at a glance, find the full printable ingredient list, and instruction card at the bottom of the post.)
- Cored apple | Peeling your apple is optional, it’s not so much to do with the flavor, but it makes it easier to eat the fruit when enjoying your glass of sangria.
- Orange | Make sure to keep some extra orange slices on hand to be added as a garnish when you serve it.
- Pomegranate juice | From the bottle is fine.
- Cointreau | This orange-flavored liqueur is a great alternative to using brandy in sangria. You can also use other orange-flavored liqueur such as Grand Marnier or Triple Sec.
- Sweet red wine | Many people will use port wine combined with a dry red wine (due to the port’s sweetness off-setting the dry wine) but feel free to add any type of sweet red wine or dry/sweet wine combo for this recipe. I’ve added some sweet red wine suggestions further down.
- Club soda |Using club soda helps to balance the recipe out so that it’s not overly sweet as opposed to using regular soda, especially since this recipe also includes juice.
- Optional: Pomegranate arils | Use the reddish seeds inside the pomegranate pod upon serving your sangria for extra texture and flair. (This is what pomegranate arils look like.)
- Optional: Vodka | If you are adding vodka for an extra boozy sangria, consider also adding additional juice and club soda to balance out the extra alcohol).
How to Make Red Wine Sangria
- Slice apple and orange into quarters and then slice quarters into thin slices. Add fruit to the bottom of a pitcher.
- Add Cointreau, pomegranate juice, and wine to the pitcher. (If you want to add extra vodka, this is when you would add it.)
- Cover sangria mixture with plastic wrap or airtight lid. Place in fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Just before serving, add club soda to the pitcher of Sangria.
- To serve, spoon a bit of fruit into each glass (including optional pomegranate arils.) Top with sangria and garnish with a bit of freshly sliced oranges or apples)
Tips for Making Red Wine Sangria
- The type of fruit you use in a sangria recipe will have an impact on how long you allow the mixture to sit. For example, citrus fruits, firm apples and stone fruits (like peaches) hold up well in the wine, whereas softer fruits like berries, may start to get mushy if you allow the mixture to sit for a day or two.
- If you choose a sweet red wine blend, you will not need to add additional sugar to the Red Wine Sangria. If you do use a dry red wine, you will want to add about 3 to 5 tablespoons of sugar to your Sangria mixture. Just give it a taste and add additional sugar as needed.
- Use a clear plastic or glass pitcher for your sangria so that you can show off your recipe and all the delicious fruit!
My favorite sweet red wines you can try for this holiday sangria:
- Roscato Rosso Dolce (my 2nd fave, you should be able to find this almost everywhere.)
- Barefoot Sweet Red Blend
- Grape Creek Grand Rouge (This wine is from a central texas winery and definitely my favorite of the three listed!)
FAQ’s
Can I Use Dry Red Wine In This Red Wine Sangria?
Yes, you can! If you don’t have sweet red wine on hand, you can definitely make use of dry red wine. When using dry red wine, make sure to add about 5 tablespoons of sugar to this red wine sangria recipe.
Is Sangria Stronger Than Wine?
Yes, sangria is stronger than wine since it includes other spirits such as an orange liqueur and in this recipe, optional vodka. Keep in mind, you can add as much soda and/or additional juice before serving to help lower the ABV. (Or add less to raise it.)
Can I Add Additional Alcohol To This Red Wine Sangria
Yes, go for it! While I personally prefer a weaker cocktail, there’s nothing stopping you from adding additional alcohol for some extra kick!
You’ll first want to check the alcohol content of the wine you are using to determine how much additional booze to add. Here’s the alcohol content of the 3 wines that I listed above:
- Roscato Rosso Dolce – 7 % ABV (Alcohol By Volume)
- Barefoot Red Blend – 10% ABV
- Grape Creek Grand Rouge – 13.6% ABV ( I swear this is NOT why this one is my fave, lol!)
It is likely that you’ll want to add extra booze to less expensive wines (or any wine with ABV lower than 8 or 9%. In this instance, adding some vodka is a great choice – it goes very well with sangria and will definitely provide that stronger booze factor you’re looking for.
Can I Make This Red Wine Sangria Just Before Serving?
No, please don’t! Sangria needs to sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably 8 as a minimum, and even better would be overnight.
Why is this? Sufficient time is required for the fruit and their juices to mix and blend with the wine and any other alcohol you’ve added. This will ensure that the flavors of the fruit come through upon serving.
Trust me – you’ll be disappointed if you taste your sangria right after having mixed the ingredients!
How Long Will The Sangria Last?
Typically, leftover sangria will last in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you anticipate needing to store leftover sangria for that length of time, I suggest removing any fruit that looks like it could become mushy. (like strawberries)
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Have you tried this Sweet Red Wine Sangria?
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Print
Easy Red wine Sangria
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 15 minute + time to chill
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
- Category: drinks
Description
This Red Wine Sangria is made with your favorite sweet red wine, orange-flavored liqueur, pomegranate juice, and fruit. It’s delicious and easy to drink.
Ingredients
- 1 peeled and cored apple
- 1 orange (+ extra for garnish)
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/4 cup Cointreau (or other orange flavored liqueur)
- 1 bottle sweet red wine
- 1 cup club soda
- Optional: Pomegranate arils
- Optional:1/2 cup Vodka if you want extra boozy sangria. (If adding extra liquor, you may also want to add 1/2 cup juice and club soda to balance out the extra alcohol.)
Instructions
- Slice apple and orange into quarters and then slice quarters into thin slices. Add fruit to the bottom of a pitcher.
- Add Cointreau, pomegranate juice and wine to pitcher. (If you want to add extra vodka, this is when you would add it.)
- Cover sangria mixture with plastic wrap or airtight lid. Place in fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Just before serving, add club soda to pitcher.
- To serve, spoon a bit of fruit into each glass (including optional pomegranate arils) Top with sangria and garnish with a bit of freshly sliced oranges or apples)
