The Best Red Sangria
Meet the best sangria you’ll ever have! Made with fresh fruit, brandy and red wine, this classic red sangria recipe will hit the spot. It’s so easy to make!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Life is good! Let’s celebrate with this classic red sangria recipe. Sure, I love a glass of wine at the end of a long day, but sangria is best shared with friends.
Sangria is festive, fruity and fun. It’s a perfect party punch to pair with Spanish tapas or Mexican food. Cold sangria is undeniably great on hot summer days. The red wine base and versatile seasonal fruit options make it appropriate for cooler days, too!
Sangria hails from Spain, although funny enough, my friend Ali lives in Spain and says they don’t drink it often over there. I visited Barcelona with friends in college and we bought cheap cartons of sangria from the convenience store by the beach. I don’t recommend that stuff.
We’re going to make real sangria with good wine and fresh fruit today. Through research and trial and error, I’ve learned how to make the best red sangria. Ready?!
Red Sangria Ingredients
Start with these basic ingredients and you’ll end up with the best sangria you’ve ever had! Spoiler: you do not need any sweet liqueurs, sodas like 7-Up, or tons of sugar.
1) Bottle of Garnacha or Pinot Noir
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? They’re fruity, low-tannin red wines. Tannins are naturally-occurring compounds in grape skins, seeds and stems that can make the wine taste bitter or astringent. Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, is high in tannins.
When it comes to sangria, the problem with tannins is that they taste weird when chilled. Cold high-tannin wine tastes sort of chalky, extra-astringent and generally not good.
It’s difficult to combat those funky flavors, and I suspect sangrias are often loaded with sugar in an attempt to counteract the bitterness of the tannins.
2) Fresh ripe fruit
Fruit infuses the wine with fresh flavor and sweetness, and gives the sangria a fun confetti vibe. I always squeeze half of an orange into the sangria, then thinly slice the other half. I use lemon instead of lime based on a tip from America’s Test Kitchen.
Then I add seasonal fruit—I love to use strawberries or peaches in the warmer months, and apples and pears in cooler months. Any combination will do!
3) Brandy
Brandy turns wine into a true cocktail and adds some kick. You don’t need to spend a lot on brandy. I used E & J Brandy VSOP for this sangria.
In the mood for a more mellow, lower-alcohol content sangria? You can skip the brandy, use less of it, or dilute the sangria with some club soda.
4) Sweetener, to taste
You know I’m conservative with sweeteners, but sometimes a tiny bit helps balance the flavor of the brandy and rounds out the flavors. I also try to use natural sweetener when I can, and I’m excited to share that maple syrup is surprisingly awesome in sangria!
Real maple syrup offers a very subtle caramel-like flavor that plays well with red wine and adds some extra complexity. It blends right into the other ingredients, which is nice. I usually only add one to two tablespoons of it, to taste. Start with the right wine and flavorful fruit, and you might not need any at all!
Enjoy Sangria Now or Later
Sangria is a fantastic make-ahead party punch. Stir it all together and refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours for maximum fruity flavor.
In a hurry? Sangria doesn’t require a long rest before serving if you start with chilled wine and flavorful fruit! Squeezing half of the orange directly into the wine makes it taste a little fruity right off the bat, and the fragrance of the remaining fruit helps it taste quite fruity.
Therefore, sangria is also an easy throw-together party cocktail if you keep a bottle of wine in the fridge. Are you as excited about this as I am?
Watch How to Make Sangria
Want to throw a Spanish-style get-together? Serve this sangria with olives, cheese, and vegetable paella. You might also like my gazpacho and Mediterranean-style tomato dips, including Sonja and Alex’s baked goat cheese with tomato sauce and my Mediterranean tomato and feta dip.
Craving a fun spin on classic red sangria? Don’t miss my strawberry rosé sangria (available in my cookbook, page 131), watermelon white sangria, or blood orange pomegranate sangria (perfect for the winter holidays). I have many more fresh cocktail recipes here!
Please let me know how this sangria recipe turns out in the comments! Your feedback keeps me going, and I’m eager to hear what you serve with this sangria. Better yet, can I come to your party?
Best Red Sangria
Meet the best sangria you’ll ever have! Made with fresh fruit, brandy and red wine, this classic red sangria recipe will hit the spot. It’s so easy to make! Recipe yields 1 pitcher; enough for six glasses.
Ingredients
- 1 bottle of affordable Garnacha (also called Grenache) or Pinot Noir or other fruity low-tannin red wine, chilled
- 1 large orange
- 1 cup thinly sliced seasonal fruit (I like Granny Smith apple or pear, strawberries, peaches or nectarines, pineapple or a combination)
- 1 small lemon, sliced into thin rounds
- ½ cup brandy
- 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup*, to taste
- Ice, for serving
Instructions
- To prepare the orange, slice it in half from the stem end downward. Squeeze the juice of one-half of the orange into a pitcher. Thinly slice the remaining orange half and place the slices into the pitcher.
- Add the prepared seasonal fruit and lemon. Add the brandy and 1 tablespoon of the maple syrup. Pour the wine into the pitcher and stir to combine. Taste, and add another tablespoon of maple syrup if it’s not sweet enough for your liking.
- You can serve this sangria immediately, or let it marinate for 2 to 8 hours for more fruity flavor. Serve in wine glasses with a few ice cubes to keep it chilled. Enjoy!
Notes
*Maple syrup alternatives: I love maple syrup’s very subtle caramel-like flavor and how it blends right into other liquids. But, you can also use sugar (brown or white) or simple syrup instead.
Change it up: For a lighter, fizzy sangria, gently stir some club soda into the pitcher just before serving.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I add sprite instead of the club soda
Try it. You will notice the difference!!
Thank you for sharing, Maria!
Very yummy!!!! Made up the red sangria to go with a birthday paella this last weekend and it waa soooo good. The maple syrup works really well. This, along with the sunny weather, made the day! :-) Tessa x
Will try the one with watermelon next!
Hello Cookie and Kate:
I made your sangria and it was great!
We purchased a 5 litre box of red wine thinking that it was the rose of the same brand! Luckily, it is a Portuguese red that is very Granache like so making sangria out of it was a natural. (We live in Portugal.)
I am not a big fan of too much sugar either but instead of maple syrup, we used red port wine to sweeten it a little. (500 ml for the amount of wine called for in the recipe.) It was delicious! Thanks!
This was a huge hit! We used a bottle of wine sold as Sangria from BJ’s — it was yummy on its own, which surprised me since it was only $6, but I highly recommend for this recipe. I misread and squeezed in 1 1/2 oranges instead of just 1/2, and it made it even better I think!
Thank you for sharing, Andrea!
Thank you
This was great! I did add a lot more fresh squeezed orange juice and quite a bit more maple syrup as I wanted it a bit sweeter. Also topped off each glass with just a bit of ginger beer for some carbonation. Used an apple brandy I had on hand from a local distillery in Minneapolis. Thanks for the great recipe, Kate!
Love it! Had to use a Pinot Noir as the small town we’re visiting didn’t have the Garnacha. I used 2T of maple syrup, canned pineapple chunks & canned mandarin oranges (again we’re in a very small town) as well as some of the pineapple juice. I’m drinking it mixed with a little bit of sparkling water. It’s wonderful, thank you for the recipe!
Thank you for sharing, Karen!
The recipe was really good
I’m happy you loved it!
Which sangria do you recommend for Thanksgiving?
This would be a great variation! Or this one could be nice for the holiday too https://capital-fly.pro/blood-orange-pomegranate-sparkling-sangria/%3C/a%3E.%3C/p%3E
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Sangria recipe,can I use carton fruit juice for a quick mix?
Hey Keith, you could try it, but your sangria won’t taste like this one.
Can you use wine with your fruit leftovers from your previous sangria
Would you recommend honey as a sweetener?
Hi there, honey doesn’t mix into liquid as well as maple syrup, and its flavor is more apparent in the final product.
Very good! I made a double batch. I probably should have squeezed in a whole orange but I only had one. I used strawberries, red apple, orange, lemon, and jarred cherries with some of the juice. I used simple syrup and did not use soda water.
Hi there :)
I’m very keen to try.
Have you tried using spices as I’ve seen in some other recipes (I’m not sure if that’s traditional or not).
If you have, which ones please?
Hi Sarah! I’ve tried adding a couple cinnamon sticks before. I enjoyed the outcome, but it did taste kind of Christmas-y. Might be a nice variation for a cool day. You could also add a couple star anise.
Just made this yesterday! Was a huge success, one of the best sangria recipes I have ever tried :) Your tip on the type of red wine to use really helped and I am glad I went with brandy (instead of whiskey). I let it marinate overnight thought (~12 hours).. But tasted fine!
I am 30 and only tried a small cup at a fair and this has me so anxious to make it, especially maybe with a little plain maple syrup?
A rioja, particularly a tempranillo, adds in a cherry flavor and more brightness. Dependent on year a garnacha can end up tasting leathery and needing excess sweetener and then some. 24-hours of being sealed minimum to develop the flavor will make it taste less like a piecey mixed drink and more smooth. A bit more patience can go a long way with true Spanish cooking.
Great used sugar as alternative is it was amazing!
Will try this out this weekend. Thank you
I’m happy to hear that, Monica! Thank you for your review.
Made this last night for a small outdoor happy hour. Everyone loved it! I was skeptical about maple syrup but went for it and loved the outcome… Not too sweet. I used a bottle of 6.99 Garnacha from Trader Joe’s. Thank you for the recipe!!
Hooray for happy hour! I’m happy it was enjoyed. Thanks for sharing, Nicole.
I used 2 tbs of maple syrup and added sparkling water generously to lighten the alcohol content. And it was perfect! My husband and I can’t wait to make it again. I used a blend of apples, nectarines and strawberry. Thank you!
Just made this red sangria for a Spanish themed dinner party! It was clutch to learn about the tannins and which wines are chilled best. I personally don’t like the over sugared sangria and thoroughly enjoyed this one!
I love that you had a theme! That sounds like fun. I appreciate your review.
This looks delicious! What size bottle of wine does this call for?
Hi Pam! It’s designed for a standard 750mL wine bottle.
How long before you have to change the fruit in the sangria
It was delicious and a hit!
Love all your recipes from the cookbook.
Really good! I added a wee bit of triple Sec as well. Perfect!
Grate recipee!! I drunk the hole thing and luv the nurtrishun. Gotta do it again ‘morrow. Going to sleep…..
This recipe needs a couple of other items. Something carbonated such as Gingerale adds a nice kick. I also add a couple cups of tropical fruit juice.
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one as is. I appreciate your feedback.
Loved this – your research into what type of red wine works best, as well as what type of brandy you used, really made me confident to go with this recipe.
I used peaches, strawberries, and apple as my seasonal fruit. Followed the recipe to a T. It was complex, fruity, and sweet yet maintained its dryness (I love that). My husband and friends loved it, and asked for seconds, as well as the recipe!
I’m excited it was a hit, Kayla! Thank you for sharing.
I am not always a fan of sangria, but decided to try it out for a small dinner last week. This was the one recipe that stuck out in my google search because of the addition of maple syrup as the sweetener. I used nectarines, strawberries and pink pearl apples (taste like cherries). WOW! DELICIOUS! I will definitely make it again. Thanks Cookie and Kate!
This sangria did me and my girlfriends DIRTY! Goes down like the most delicious juice you’ve ever had and hits you when you least expect it. Will be making this again when I recover from the good time!
I suppose everyone has their ideal of what Sangria should be. In my own taste tests with friends and family, I have received better responses from Sangria with much more lemon and lime juice, coupled with more orange juice to balance, and added brandy. We squeeze about 5 lemons/limes per bottle of wine and add OJ to balance the tartness. he heavier sweet/sour taste holds up to ice nicely. Its kind of like a lemonade made with wine and OJ (and brandy) , instead of sugar and water.
Truly the best sangria!
It’s funny that here in Portugal sangria is pretty popular. Most restaurants serve it. (And it is usually too sweet for me.) This recipe is perf! On our second batch since it has finally warmed up here!
Thanks much for the awesome recipes!
You’re welcome, Lisa! Thank you for your review.
What brandy did you use in this recipe?
Hi Linda! I have notes in the post about the type of brandy I used. 3) Brandy
Brandy turns wine into a true cocktail and adds some kick. You don’t need to spend a lot on brandy. I used E & J Brandy VSOP for this sangria.
I would love to give this a try but how long does it keep in the refrigerator.?
Hi! This one doesn’t last long in the fridge as the fruit starts to breakdown. It’s best consumed per instructions, but use your best judgement after a day or so.
Have made this a few times and it always turns out great! Thanks for the fantastic recipe! Big fan of your blog!
This article had the exact specific information that I was looking for and excellent tips to take my homemade Sangrias to the next level. Thanks!
That’s great to hear, Thrembo. Thank you for your review!
Made this to go with Christmas lunch, everyone loved it and it received a lot of compliments
I love this recipe. I used some grand marnier and it was terrible. I’m not sure if Grand Marnier goes bad but it didn’t taste very good. Are used in apricot brandy and I just put raspberries blueberries strawberries blackberries as the fruit and I also used rowers pear cider because it’s bubbly. Me and my husband loved it. We also loved the Spanish wine garnacha.
I’m sorry to hear that, Cindy!
Love this red sangria recipe… not too sweet, it’s perfect!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, June! I appreciate you review.
Love this recipe! I’ve made it several times using pears and apples along with the orange and lemon. Such a simple (your guests will never know!) but delicious sangria!
I love it! I’m glad that variation worked so well for you, Victoria.
I made this today and it was lovely. I added 1:3 rum and brandy and soaked the fruit for an hour and a half. To sweeten it, instead of maple syrup I used some syrup I had leftover from making candied blood oranges and it was outrageous!
If anyone wants to make it, I made it using 1:1 sugar, dissolving it in a pan on the stove, simmering sliced blood oranges for 45 minutes and then cooling. ( I put some cardamom in the sugar water while simmering) then cooling the syrup ( then I dehydrated the oranges.)
Thank you for sharing, Christine! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it.
Kate thanks the Sangria is a keeper! We used orange lemon strawberries and blueberries with the wine brandy and real maple syrup. It was a such a hit. Looking forward to the next birthday party to make it again.
Perfect proportions! Love the maple syrup add.
Very good sangria! Used sugar rather than maple syrup but otherwise followed recipe exactly.
I’ve made lots of red sangria, but never read the advice about tannins before. Now so many of the not-so-great batches make sense! This recipe is perfectly balanced. I used 2 bottles of pinot noir and one of a Garnacha rose, lots of fruit plus a little leftover pineapple juice. I also froze watermelon and added it right before serving to keep this big batch chilled. This will be my new go-to recipe. Thanks so much!
I’m glad you found it helpful and were able to enjoy it, Cindy! I appreciate your review.
Garnacha and Pinot Noir come in different sized bottles. All you say is a bottle without giving ml, oz, or cups. I really want to make this version but don’t know how much wine to use. Please advise.
Hi Rose! Standard size, which is typically 750 ml, holds 1 standard bottle or 5 glasses of wine.
I opted for a nice pinot noir as my base, used blood orange instead of navel, and chose organic plums and cherries as the seasonal fruit add ins. Combined with the brandy, lemon, and maple syrup, the flavor of this sangria was absolutely divine. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Jessica! Thank you for your review.
I have always used oranges and watermelon and I soak it in the red sangria it’s so good the watermelon taste so good you might want to try it