Video Content (Transcription):
This is Julien, the French winemaking guy who makes wine videos here on YouTube, yes wine and here’s a Sangria video for you. It can be said that Sangria is one of my favorite drinks, why is that, well because it’s got into it, and it’s not only refreshing in hot weather, but also tasty under many happy circumstances as well.
Here we’re going to be looking at which wines are the best to use for making Sangria. I’m going to be giving you specific types of wines and the names you should look out for at your wine shop, and at the end of the video, I’ll give you’re the 3 general characteristics your wine should have as well to make the best possible Sangria, so make sure to stay tuned until the end of the video to hear that too.
For the context, the name Sangria originated from Spain and was appreciated across Europe as a punch cocktail made from the combination of fruit and a sugar-sweetened wine. Rumor has it that this drink was introduced into the US for the first time at the World Fair in 1964.
What kind of wine do you use for making Sangria?
Let’s look at white wine first.
What is the best white wine to make sangria?
Most people think of Sangria as red, but it is possible to make with white wine too, with the advantage of having less tannins, less bitterness and astringency to deal with. Therefore, most of the white wines are perfect for making your sangria fresh and zingy. However, avoid wine, which has a lot of oak, to ensure the freshest taste for your beverage. If you go with Chardonnay wine, make sure it is unoaked.
In case you want a zingy and light sangria, and you are using fruits such as limes, lemons, cucumbers, or herbs, you should choose a crisp and rather light white like:
Riesling from Germany for accentuated lemon flavors
Vinho Verde from Portugal for a light alcohol and a rather neutral base that will let the fruits speak for themselves more than the wine.
Pinot Gris/Grigio or Viognier for more pronounced tropical fruit aromas, ripe peach or apricot.
Sauvignon Blanc for a grassy and tropical touch.
Torrontes from Argentina, highly floral and medium-bodied white.
What is the best white wine to make sangria?
Admittedly, red Sangria is the most traditional type. As it can result in being a rather a strong drink with a powerful wine, prefer a wine will decide the favor of sangria you like.
To make the best taste, you can mix red wine with pears, oranges, and apples. Below are some popular red wines you can use:
Merlot is generally fruity and round, with a soft body and notes of cherry. Mix with slight vanilla, Assam tea leaves, dried fig, and pear.
Cabernet Sauvignon is often a bigger wine with aromas of cassis (blackcurrent) and blackberry. The palate is filled with loads of cocoa notes and roasted coffee.
A Pinot Noir wine, an affordable one, is a lighter choice that will bring upfront fruitiness to your Sangria.
A fruity Garnacha can be a good middle ground, round and rather soft in tannins, yet upfront fruity and spicy.
In any case, preferably go for a wine that matches all three of the following characteristics:
1- Unoaked or very lightly oaked
A very oaky wine will bring a weird vanilla and smoky taste to your sangria, somewhat clashing with the fruits, the lemon, the orange and all the citrus. Definitely favor a wine whose flavors are focused on fruity notes more than anything else.
2- 13% alcohol or less
To keep things light and festive, about the effects of the alcohol itself, but also Flavorwise, anything above say 13.5& alcohol max will feel too heavy and cloying and might surprise our guests that may not be expecting to be having such a strong drink, especially as you often have Sangria before a meal or in the afternoon. Keep it light and cheerful.
3- Affordable.
Expensive wine are complex wines that have been crafted to be balanced and tasty on their own so there’s really no need to augment them with fruit and sugar. In addition, the more expensive wines tend to have other flavors that are not fruity ones, earthy flavors, the oaky ones we talked about before, some animal tones even sometimes, and an overall strong taste of wine which is not what you want in your Sangria. So keep it affordable and easy on your wallet too. Why not?
That’s it for today guys. If you find this video useful, make sure to give it a thumb up and share with your fellow Sangria and wine loving friends. Have a look around my YouTube channel if you like learning more about your vino and consider subscribing to the best or at least second-best wine channel in the world, humbly, and I will see you soon in the wonderful world of wine.
Santé, au revoir!
#JulienWineSchool