Christmas Sangria Recipe: Refreshing Sangria with White Wine (2024)

FAQs

What type of wine is best for white sangria? ›

When it comes to choosing the white wine for your sangria your best bets are dryer, more acidic, and crisp fresh whites like Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Vermentino, or Grenache Blanc. An Albariño, Moscato, or rosé would be nice too. But also, we live by the rule, pour what Paso Robles wine you like!

Don't skimp on the chilling time.

By chilling the sangria, you give the fresh fruits a chance to infuse the wine with sweet, fresh flavor. If you cut this time short, your sangria won't taste as fruity or as balanced. I let mine chill for at least 8 hours before serving, or overnight for the best flavor.

White sangria can be made with various white wines. They make the taste crisper and add fruitier notes. Classic sangria, on the other hand, is made with heavier red wines, which bring richer and bolder flavors to the drink.

We recommend the Santa Cristina Pinot Grigio, which is straw yellow in color and has delicate aromas of orange flowers, bananas and tropical fruit.

Some of the most popular sweet white wine types include Riesling, Moscato, Gewürztraminer, ice wine, and late harvest wine. These aromatic white wines can range from light and delicate to bold and full-bodied. Sweet white wines can also be called dessert wines for their super sweet characters.

If you want a sweeter - high alcohol wine, the easiest way to do it is to start off with more sugar and keep adding it in small amounts throughout the fermentation.

Sangria blanca (sangria with white wine) is a more recent innovation. For sangria blanca, American food writer Penelope Casas recommends dry white wines such as a Rueda, Jumilla, or Valdepeñas. Ponche de Sangria is a variation for children, often for birthday parties.

Sangria will last for about three to five days in the refrigerator if stored in an airtight container. It will only last for a day or two if stored in the pitcher covered with storage wrap, so we recommend moving it to an airtight container if you don't plan on drinking it all within two days.

The best wine for sangria is Garnacha (also called Grenache) or Pinot Noir. Garnacha comes from Spain, so it's my top pick for authentic Spanish sangria! Choose an inexpensive wine (under $20) that you would enjoy on its own. Why Garnacha and Pinot Noir?

The Overnight Resting Period Is Important!

This lets the fruit infuse the wine, letting its juices get in the mix and sweeten up the drink.

How long should you let sangria sit before serving? ›

Cover and refrigerate: Pop the pitcher in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours before serving, in order to let those flavors meld together. Serve: Then serve the sangria over ice, topping off each glass with a splash of bubbly soda (or sparkling water) if desired.

Drier wines will need to be sweetened more, a lighter, sweeter wine won't need too much added to it. Typically the white sangria has a sweeter flavor than the red, but again, it's all up to you!

Even though there are different schools of thoughts about it, you should not worry: you can, in fact, mix red and white wines together, if you want to create something new and exciting.

It's best to avoid using your expensive, high-end bottles of wine when making sangria, unless you have a bottle that's been open for a few days and won't be palatable on its own. "Remember, you are adding sugar, juices, fruit, and brandy, so using really nice wine is kind of a waste," explains Flaherty.

White wines (and rosés) are best served in a glass with a narrower bowl, as the smaller size preserves the fruity flavors by keeping the wine at the optimal temperature. These glasses are often just referred to as traditional white wine glasses, and are slightly tulip shaped.