A Red Wine Sangria Recipe everyone will love! This homemade sangria is easy to make with only a few ingredients. Refreshing and delicious!
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Imagine the taste of ripe, juicy fruits mixing with rich, velvety red wine and a bit of whiskey for depth, that’s what this Red Wine Sangria is all about!
The combination of flavors is the perfect drink to enjoy with family and friends for the holiday season, but can easily be customized with whatever fresh fruit you have in season.
Enjoy this cocktail with your Thanksgiving Dinner or Christmas Meal for an extra special drink your guests will savor.
Why you’ll love this Homemade Sangria
This is such a delicious fall cocktail! It’s one of our favorites because:
- Easy to Make – Red Wine Sangria is a breeze to prepare. With simple steps like dissolving sugar, mixing ingredients, and letting it chill, you can effortlessly create a sophisticated beverage that impresses anyone you serve it to.
- Lower in Sugar – This sangria recipe stands out as a healthier alternative due to its lower sugar content. By using minimal sugar and opting for pure apple cider without added sugars, it maintains the balance between sweetness and the natural flavors of fresh fruits and wine, ensuring a more health conscious indulgence.
- Lots of Fresh Fruit – The abundance of fresh fruits in this sangria not only enhances its taste but also infuses it with a spectrum of vitamins and antioxidants!
Red Wine Sangria Ingredients
For this homemade sangria you’ll need:
- water
- granulated sugar
- cinnamon sticks
- cabernet sauvignon
- apple cider
- apple whiskey
- cranberries
- pear
- granny smith apple, fuji apple
- orange
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded box.
How to make Sangria with Red Wine
- Make the Cinnamon Simple Syrup: Combine the water, sugar, and cinnamon sticks in a small pot over high heat until the sugar has dissolved. Allow the syrup to cool.
- Add the syrup, cabernet sauvignon, apple cider, whiskey, cranberries, pear, apple, and orange in a large pitcher. Place the sangria into the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Serve with some of the fruit from the pitcher and a stick of cinnamon for garnish.
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR SANGRIA
Sugar: If you don’t want to use granulated sugar, you can use coconut sugar, but we don’t recommend it. You’ll need to dissolve it in hot water. You can also use 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
Wine: You can make this sangria with Pinot Noir, Rioja, Malbec, or make a white wine sangria with Pinot Grigio.
Apple Cider: Use pure apple cider with no added sugar. If you’re not making this during the fall or can’t find cider, you can sub with 1 cup of apple juice.
Apple Whiskey: You can change the apple whiskey for fireball, apple brandy, or vodka.
Fruit: You can add more or less of any fruit depending on what is seasonally available or your personal preferences.
Tips to make the Best Red Wine Sangria
- Choose a Quality Red Wine – Start with a good quality red wine that you enjoy drinking. The wine is the base of your sangria, so its flavor significantly contributes to the overall cocktail.
- Use Fresh, Ripe Fruits – Select ripe and seasonal fruits for the best flavor!
- Chill for Flavor – Let your sangria chill in the fridge for at least a few hours or overnight to allow the flavors to meld and develop, resulting in a more balanced drink.
What is Red Sangria?
Red Sangria is typically made by mixing red wine with various ingredients such as chopped fruits, sweeteners like sugar or juice, a small amount of liqueur for extra depth, and sometimes a touch of soda water or sparkling water to add a slight sparkle.
Sangria Recipe (Red Wine Version) FAQs
We love these flavors with a cabernet sauvignon, but you could also use Pinot Noir, Rioja, Malbec, or make a white wine sangria with Pinot Grigio.
Sangria is good for up to four days in the refrigerator. The fruit will start discoloring after day 2 but it will be fine to drink!
You can use any fruit you like or is in season. We love apples, pears, oranges, and cranberries for a festive fall sangria!
How to Store
Can you make sangria in advance? I don’t recommend making it more than two days in advance. The fruit will start to get very discolored, and you will get too much of that cinnamon flavor.
Storing: You will want to store this sangria in your pitcher in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap tightly so it doesn’t absorb any flavor from the refrigerator. Sangria is good for up to four days.
Freezing: You can’t freeze sangria.
What to serve with Red Sangria
Here are some of our favorite things to serve with sangria:
- A Seasonal Cheeseboard
- Dips like Bruschetta or Feta Dip
- Pineapple Mango Salsa
- Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad
- Apple Pork Tenderloin
- Alongside Thanksgiving Dinner and your turkey
Red Sangria
Ingredients
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 750 ml cabernet sauvignon
- 2 cups apple cider look for pure apple cider, no added sugar
- ½ cup apple whiskey
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 cup pear diced (1 large pear)
- 1 cup granny smith apple diced (1 large apple)
- 1 cup fuji apple diced (1 large apple)
- 1 cup orange diced (1 large orange)
Instructions
- Combine the water, sugar, and cinnamon sticks in a small pot over high heat until the sugar has dissolved. Allow the syrup to cool.
- Add the syrup, cabernet sauvignon, apple cider, whiskey, cranberries, pear, apple, and orange in a large pitcher.
- Place the sangria into the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Serve with some of the fruit from the pitcher and a stick of cinnamon for garnish.
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