Sangria screams summer, but why not get ahead of the game by testing recipes during the spring? When the season starts out as warm as this spring has, enjoying iced beverages on the patio is a must. And, Sweetheart Winery, locally-owned and operated in Loveland has the perfect wine to get your sangria tasting its best.
For white sangria, a dry, crisp, unoaked white is a great option (Sweetheart wines such as Chardonnay, Viognier, and Sauvignon Blanc are all great contestants). If red sangria is on the menu, a dry, medium-bodied red (such as their Tempranillo or Pinot Noir) is best.
Classic sangria contains fruit--typically lemons, oranges, and green apples--but it’s fun to experiment with different varieties that play off the tasting notes in the wine. Ripe pears are a nice addition to Sweetheart Wineries Viognier, and tangerine and strawberry taste great with their Rosé. Ripe peaches or pineapple are great additions to their Sauvignon Blanc.
Brandy is the liquor most commonly added to sangria, although liqueurs such as cognac, Grand Marnier, and Cointreau also make a fun addition.
“To get that kick that comes from a boozy flavor, we add hard cider – peach, grapefruit ginger, or blood orange--to white and rosé sangrias,” Sweetheart Winery owner, Kathy Burks, explains. “Our red sangria gets a dose of our dessert wine, which is a port-style wine made with a distilled spirit derived from grapes called grappa.”
Although fruit, liqueur, and hard cider definitely make sangria “festive,” Kathy also likes adding equal parts of red wine and lemonade to a glass, tossing in a few lemon slices, and calling it a party! Try that when you’re in a pinch for time, but when you have breathing room and a moment to shop and chop, try this sangria recipe:
Fruity, White Sangria:
Ingredients:
1 Bottle of Sweetheart Winery’s Sauvignon Blanc
½ Cup cognac
Sparkling water or ginger ale to taste
1 Lemon, 1 lime and 1 orange – skin on, sliced
1 Ounce of fresh cubed pineapple
1 Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apple – skin on, cubed
1 Cup fresh blackberries
2 Tbsp superfine sugar
Directions:
In a glass pitcher, combine cognac and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add fruit to pitcher, top with wine, and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
To Serve:
Add ice to glasses, spoon fruit from the pitcher over the ice*, and pour sangria over the fruit. Add a splash of sparkling water or ginger ale. Stir and serve.
*Skewering the fruit makes for a nice presentation as well as making it easier for your guests to eat.
Sweetheart Winery’s grapes and wines are expertly sourced from small-lot vineyards and wineries in California and Colorado. They carefully craft, age, and bottle their wines right on site, which allows them to pay attention to every detail. Each wine has a character of its own.