Best Wine for Sangria: Finding Your Perfect Pour

Wine being poured into a Sangria cocktail

Hey there wine lovers! Are you on the hunt for the best wine for sangria? Whether you’re lounging poolside, hosting a summer soirée, or simply craving a refreshing sip, sangria is the ultimate crowd-pleaser. But here’s the question: What’s the best wine to use? Join us as we uncork the secrets to crafting the perfect sangria, exploring a tantalizing array of wine varietals that will elevate your pitcher to new heights of flavor and fun!

How to Choose the Best Wine for Sangria?

Wine Characteristics to Consider

When searching for the best wine for your sangria, it’s crucial to consider certain characteristics that will enhance its overall flavor profile.

Firstly, look for a wine with a balanced combination of sweetness and acidity. This balance serves as a sturdy foundation for the addition of fruits and other ingredients, ensuring a harmonious blend of flavors.

Additionally, seek out wines with pronounced fruitiness, as these will infuse your sangria with vibrant and refreshing notes. The fruitiness of the wine should complement the fruits you’ll be adding to your sangria, enhancing their natural flavors and contributing to a deliciously well-rounded drink.

Sangria Color Options

Sangria’s versatility allows for experimentation with a wide range of wine varietals, each offering its unique characteristics.

Red wines, known for their rich and robust flavors, are a popular choice for traditional sangria recipes. Their deep hues and bold fruit profiles pair beautifully with a variety of fruits and spices, creating a robust and satisfying drink.

On the other hand, white wines bring a crisp and refreshing element to sangria, perfect for lighter, fruit-forward variations.

Rosé wines, with their delicate blush hues and fruity undertones, offer a middle ground between red and white, adding a touch of elegance to your sangria.

For those seeking a sparkling twist, sparkling wines inject effervescence and celebratory flair into your sangria, making it perfect for special occasions or festive gatherings.

Factors Influencing Sangria Wine Choice

Several factors come into play when selecting the best wine for sangria, including sweetness, acidity, and fruitiness.

The sweetness level of the wine should complement the sweetness of the fruits and other sweeteners used in the recipe.

Likewise, the acidity of the wine should balance the sweetness, providing a refreshing contrast that prevents the sangria from becoming cloying.

Consider the fruitiness of the wine as well, opting for varietals with bright and ripe fruit flavors that will enhance the overall fruitiness of the sangria.

By carefully considering these factors, you can choose a wine that perfectly complements your sangria recipe, resulting in a deliciously satisfying beverage that delights the palate.

Best Wine for Sangria

Sangria is the ultimate summer sipper and an easy way to impress your friends with your mixology skills. But what wine should you use to make this delicious concoction? Look no further, my wine-loving friend! 

The best wine for sangria is a fruity, fresh red wine like a Grenache or Tempranillo. Avoid anything too heavy or tannic–you want a wine that will complement the fruit and not overpower it. Also, since you’ll be mixing in other ingredients, you don’t need to buy anything too expensive or too complex. The wine is an important base element, but not the star of the show here!

Although traditionally sangria is crafted with red wine, you could always mix things up and use a fruity white wine or even rose to make something truly unique. 

When you’re crafting a mouth-watering white sangria, select any of these tasty white wine varieties – Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc or Vermentino for a an extra zesty kick; Grenache Blanc for added complexity; Albariño if you want to bring some floral notes into the mix; or Moscato when sweetness is in order.

Below we’ve rounded up our favorite bottles for your next Sangria Soiree!

Bonus tip: use fresh seasonal fruit for the ultimate sangria experience. Be sure to check out our roundup of best Sangria recipes!

Best Red Wine for Sangria

The best red wine for sangria often possesses bold fruit flavors and a balanced acidity to complement the added fruits and spices.

Varietals such as Tempranillo, Garnacha, or Merlot work exceptionally well, infusing the sangria with rich depth and complexity. Opt for a red wine with medium tannins and a smooth finish to ensure a harmonious blend of flavors in your sangria creation.

Agricola de Borja Monte Oton Garnacha 2020

Agricola de Borja Monte Oton Garnacha 

This affordable Garnacha hails from Spain and is the perfect red wine for Sangria. With intense ripe notes of juicy red cherry and a full body, it’s going to create the perfect flavor base for your recipe. 

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Fat Cat Cellars Pinot Noir 2020

Fat Cat Cellars Pinot Noir 

California Pinot Noir has a reputation for offering bold red fruit flavors and this fun bottle from Fat Cat Cellars is no exception. This smooth wine is excellent in Sangira – Wildberry aromas and lively accents of plum and raspberry swing together with crisp acidity and light tannins for one finesse of a finish. If I had one word to describe this wine? Juicy. 

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Venta Morales Tempranillo 2021

Venta Morales Tempranillo 

Tempranillo is known for being bold and powerful. When used in a Sangria recipe, it’s going to create a strong and flavorful drink. This bottle is intense and fruity with ripe red fruit flavors. 

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Trivento Reserve Malbec

Trivento Reserve Malbec

This Malbec from Trivento is one of my go-to favorites. Malbec tends to see a little more oak aging than the other wines listed here, which is going to add subtle notes of vanilla and coconut to the final Sangria wine. This bottle is bright and intense, offering flavors of cherries, strawberries, and raspberries. It has sweet, drinkable tannins with a velvety finish.

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Pre-Made Red Wine Sangria

Pasmosa Red Sangria

Pasmosa Red Sangria

Looking for an easier solution? Pasmosa is my favorite bottled Sangria. They use high-quality wines and fresh ingredients to create a delicious tastes-like-homemade bottled Sangria. Try it for yourself and use code PAIGE10 for 10% off your order. No recipe needed!

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Best White Wine for Sangria

For a refreshing white wine sangria, look for varietals with crisp acidity and bright fruit flavors.

White wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Verdejo are excellent choices, adding a lively and zesty character to your sangria. Choose a white wine with citrusy notes and a clean finish to complement the vibrant fruits and herbs in your sangria recipe.

SeaGlass Sauvignon Blanc 2021

SeaGlass Sauvignon Blanc 

This zippy California Sauvignon Blanc is an exhilarating addition to white sangria recipes. With flavors of lemon, lime, grapefruit, and fresh-cut grass, it’s like summer in a glass! 

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Barefoot Cellars Moscato White Wine

Barefoot Cellars Moscato White Wine

Moscato is typically a sweet white wine that’s perfect for Sangria. Its lush, fruity flavors and crisp, bright finish make it the perfect white wine for a cloying and luscious white Sangria. Using this white wine in your Sangria recipe will make for a refreshing and juicy drink with notes of peach and sweet dried apricots. 

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california roots pinot grigio white wine

California Roots Pinot Grigio White Wine

For a subtler and more refined white Sangria recipe, use a Pinot Grigio such as California Roots. It will add an extra zesty kick of acidity while bringing in delicate fresh fruit flavors such as ripe pear, juicy peach, bright citrus, and tropical fruit. 

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Pasmosa White Sangria

Pasmosa White Sangria 

No recipe needed — Pasmosa White Sangria is pre-made using the best ingredients, including high-quality Spanish wine. It’s the only bottled Sangria I recommend. Use code PAIGE10 for 10% off your order.

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Best Rose Wine for Sangria

When selecting the best rosé wine for sangria, opt for varieties with a delicate blush hue and fruity undertones.

Rosé wines like Grenache rosé or Provence rosé lend a light and refreshing touch to your sangria, perfect for warm-weather sipping. Choose a rosé with vibrant berry flavors and a crisp finish to enhance the fruity elements of your sangria recipe.

La Vieille Ferme Rose 2022

La Vieille Ferme Rosé

This wine is the ideal choice for sangria, boasting a vibrant blend of Grenache, Cinsault, and Syrah grapes that infuse the drink with refreshing berry flavors and a hint of citrus zest.

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Faustino Art Collection Rose 2022

Faustino Art Collection Rosé

Faustino Art Collection Rosé is a delightful option for sangria, featuring a harmonious blend of Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes that impart juicy red fruit flavors and a crisp, lively finish, adding depth and complexity to your sangria recipe.

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Bonterra Organic Rose 2022

Bonterra Organic Rosé

With its organic grapes and sustainable practices, Bonterra Organic Rosé brings a fresh and vibrant character to sangria, showcasing lively notes of strawberry and watermelon that perfectly complement the fruit-forward profile of this beloved drink.

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Pasmosa Rose Sangria

Pasmosa Rosé Sangria

Too tired to make Sangria yourself? Just pour this pre-made bottled Sangria over ice and enjoy! Uplevel it by adding in fruits, or simply enjoy as-is. Use code PAIGE10 for 10% off your order.

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Best Sparkling Wine for Sangria

When it comes to crafting a sparkling wine sangria, selecting the right bottle is key to achieving that perfect effervescence and celebratory flair.

Opt for a sparkling wine with bright acidity and a touch of sweetness to balance the fruit and other ingredients in your sangria.

Traditionally, Cava is the sparkling wine of choice. These wines offer lively bubbles and refreshing citrus notes that enhance the overall vibrancy of the drink.

Additionally, consider choosing a sparkling rosé for a touch of elegance and a subtle hint of berry flavors, adding complexity to your sangria recipe.

Segura Viudas Cava Brut Rose

Segura Viudas Cava Brut Rose

Segura Viudas Cava Brut Rosé is an ideal choice for sangria, with its vibrant pink hue and lively bubbles that infuse the drink with an elegant touch and refreshing acidity, enhancing the fruitiness of the sangria recipe while adding a hint of sophistication to every sip.

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Poema Cava Brut Rose

Poema Cava Brut Rose

You should make sangria with Poema Cava Brut Rosé for its delicate floral aromas, crisp acidity, and fine bubbles, which perfectly complement the vibrant fruits and refreshing flavors in your sangria, creating a delightful and elegant beverage that is sure to impress.

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Freixenet Cordon Negro Cava Brut

Freixenet Cordon Negro Cava Brut

Known for its renowned quality, crisp and refreshing palate, and effervescent bubbles, Freixenet Cordon Negro Cava Brut will add a celebratory touch to your sangria. Use this wine to transform every sip into a sparkling sensation perfect for any occasion!

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Sangria Wine F.A.Q.'s

Is Sangria wine?

While wine is a significant ingredient in Sangria, it is not just wine. Sangria is a wine-based cocktail that typically consists of red or white wine that is mixed with chopped fruits, a sweetener, and sometimes brandy or another type of liquor.  

What is the best wine for Sangria? 

The best wine for sangria depends on personal preference and the desired flavor profile of the drink. Red wines like Tempranillo or Garnacha are traditional choices, offering deep, fruity flavors that complement the citrus and spice typically found in sangria recipes. However, white wines such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio can also be excellent options for a lighter, fruit-forward sangria experience.

How do you make Sangria?
Check out our roundup of best Sangria recipes! We have something for everyone, including a traditional Spanish Sangria recipe.

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