12 Wines for Sangrias, Spritzes, and Wine Cocktails

Wines you mix cocktails with should be wines you would sip on their own

The conventional wisdom that you should only cook with wine you’d be willing to drink also holds true for cocktails. Any wine you’d use for a sangria or spritzer should also be something you’d happily sip by itself—a lame wine will show itself no matter how you bolster it with other additions. However, you also don’t want to spend real money on a great bottle, only to blur its nuance with sugar, juice, soda, and spirits. Ideally, wine-based beverages call for Miss Congeniality kinds of wines: those with a certain boldness whose personality will hold up in beverage recipes, but that play well with others, drink nicely by themselves, and have a friendly price tag.

Wines of all colors both still and bubbly can be used in fruity sangrias, zesty spritzes, festive punches, or other wine-based cocktails. Here are 12 wines across the spectrum whose structure and flavor—as well as value—make them excellent choices to keep around whether the occasion arises to break into a bottle, or break out the punch bowl.

Reds

One mainly thinks of fortified sangrias or mulled wine when it comes to red wine-based drinks, but bold reds can also make for lively spritzes—see recipe below—and even play a role in classic cocktails such as the New York Sour. Ideal red wine candidates have a balanced structure with alcohol and tannin staying somewhat close to center, and a robust fruit presence that can be enhanced by other fruity components.

Silk & Spice Red Blend - Douro, Portugal ($13)

A fitting name for a bold red blend whose tannins are closer to silk than sandpaper, and whose voluptuous red fruit is accented with hints of mocha and baking spice. While summer is still in full swing, this wine sings for spicy barbecue, but can also look forward to colder weather roasts.

Alamos Malbec Seleccion - Mendoza, Argentina ($18)

(2019 New York International Wine Competition Gold Medal Winner)

Juicy Malbecs often make for a fun sangria, where their natural fruity personalities are an asset. In this award-winning Seleccion cuvée, Alamos also showcases Malbec’s density, not only ensuring its personality will shine on however you mix it, but also making it an excellent partner by itself for grilled meats.

Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel - Lodi, California ($10)

Zinfandel took a bad PR turn in the past when it became synonymous with cloying “White Zinfandel” expressions. But in Lodi, California—Zin’s spiritual home—some of the oldest vines in the country produce reds that are not only bright, but downright stately, great to be drunk as is, or even used as a spritzer base.

A red wine beverage to try: Scarlet Pompernel, recipe courtesy of Pomp & Whimsy

1 oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
1 oz red wine
1 oz blackberry pear syrup*
½ oz lemon juice
1-2 oz club soda (Q Soda suggested for its high carbonation level)

*For the blackberry pear syrup: heat equal parts sugar and water, pear slices, blackberries, vanilla bean, and 1-2 star anise on stovetop. Simmer for five minutes, strain, and cool.

Build the first four ingredients in a glass over ice and top with club soda to taste. Stir, and garnish with fresh blackberries and sliced pear.

Rosés

Rosé doesn’t need any help in the marketing department, once the hashtag #RoseAllDay took off, it was more like rosé all day, all week, all year. Once frosé became a thing? Game over. (See below for a frosé recipe that is somehow both basic and inspired.) One of rosé’s mysteries is that its wide variation in hue doesn’t necessarily reveal anything about its relative sweetness; revisit Amanda Schuster’s article Rosés For Pink Wine Haters for more exploration. But balanced, subtly fruity rosés with richer hues do make for more striking rosé-based beverages, so where’s the harm in that?

Cameron Hughes Lot 639 - Arroyo Seco, California ($13)

A good understanding of the word “quaffable” comes with this bright and budget-friendly rosé, whose strawberry notes and subtle sweetness are balanced by a crisp minerality. Bordering on coral in color, this wine is a riot in the glass, and promises an even more riotous frosé.

Bayer Family Estate Brook Horse Rosé of Primitivo 2017 - Rogue Valley, Oregon ($25)

(2019 New York International Wine Competition Gold Medal Winner)

“Rosé of Primitivo” sounds classy. “White Zinfandel” does not. But these wines are actually relatives: Zinfandel was initially thought to be a unique New World varietal, until it was proven to have the same DNA as Primitivo. In the hands of an expert winemaker, Zin’s boldness makes for a rosé with extra body, perfect for holding itself up in any mixed preparation.

La Bernarde Les Hauts du Luc 2019 - Côtes de Provence, France ($17)

If you never had a Provençal rosé this summer, did summer even count? Bright and and full of mineral notes, this is a wine to keep on hand for any light brunch, lunch, or dinner you want to eat outside. The French need never know if you felt inclined to spritz it up.

A rosé beverage to try: Shantay, You Frosé, recipe courtesy of Joey Skladany, author of Basic Bitchen

1 (750-ml) bottle rosé wine, poured into a gallon freezer bag and frozen for 5 hours
8 oz fresh strawberries, frozen
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup simple syrup
Mint, for garnish

In a blender, combine frozen rosé, strawberries, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Blend until a slushy consistency is reached. Pour into glasses and serve, garnished with mint and a tropical drink umbrella.

Whites

Whereas red sangria often gets its fortification from straight-ahead brandy or rum, sangria made with white wine often gets a boost from citrus-flavored brandies or liqueurs. The relative clarity of white wine sangria compared to red makes garnishes such as citrus wheels stand out in striking fashion. Citrus fruits, zest, or flowers are common tasting notes for many white whites, but good selections for white sangria or other white wine-based drinks should bring other characteristics to the table: stone or tropical fruit flavors, herbal notes, or a slight heft.

Baron Herzog Pinot Grigio - California ($11)

(2019 New York International Wine Competition Gold Medal Winner)

The hallmark of pinot grigio is its light and refreshing character, but that doesn’t need to be synonymous with lack of flavor. This award-winning pinot grigio brings subtle tropical fruit notes, perfect whether or not you’re actually adding mango to your sangria.

Boathouse Vineyards Dry Dock Riesling 2017 - Leelanau, Michigan ($18)

(2019 New York International Wine Competition Gold Medal Winner)

A dry riesling such as this one from Michigan’s Leelanau peninsula sings with flavors like peaches and grapefruit—both terrific partners for white wine drinks and cocktails—while still maintaining riesling’s signature mineral profile.

Gnarly Head Sauvignon Blanc - Monterey, California ($10)

Sauvignon Blancs really run the gamut between austere French selections and opulent New Zealanders. In between, a Sauvignon Blanc from California fits the bill, with an expressive ripeness, fresh herbs, and other summer fruits like honeydew and nectarine.

A white wine beverage to try: Grand Sangria Blanche, recipe courtesy of Grand Marnier

1 part of Grand Marnier
4 parts white wine
2 ripe peaches, pitted and cut into eight wedges
1 orange, thinly sliced
1 lime, thinly sliced

Add all of the ingredients in a punch bowl or pitcher. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours before serving. Serve in a wine glass over ice.

Sparklers:

After the Aperol Spritz got trolled by the New York Times in May 2019, basically the entire internet came to its defense, because you don’t get to take down all that is good about warm weather sipping without a fight. Sparkling wines are among the most utilized wines for cocktail and beverage variations; bubbles are never not festive in any presentation. Sparkling wine can also potentially be the trickiest to navigate, in terms of getting something quality to keep on hand for drinking without spending Champagne dollars. You aren’t only limited to Prosecco, however, with many other traditional-method sparklers fitting the bill for both sipping or mixing.

Segura Viudas Cava Brut - Penedès, Spain ($10)

Cava is perhaps the best intersection between craft and value when it comes to sparkling wines. The brut selection by Segura Viudas provides old world richness and structure with a $10 price tag.

Poema Cava NV Brut Rosé - Penedès, Spain ($14)

(2019 New York International Wine Competition Double Gold Medal Winner)

Utilizing the lesser-known Spanish varietal Trepat, this sparkler indeed lives up to its name—Poema means “poem”—by bringing strawberry, raspberry, and rose petal notes to the proceedings. Pink sparklers work just as well in cocktails and punches as their less colorful counterparts.

Gruet Brut NV - New Mexico ($15)

Gruet is what happens when a French winemaker from Champagne takes notice of the climate in New Mexico: sandy soils and a large diurnal temperature shift. Critically acclaimed and made via the Champagne method by a Champagne winemaker with Champagne’s traditional pinot noir and chardonnay grapes, it’s only on the geographical technicality that you can’t call it “Champagne”.

A sparkling wine beverage to try (just in time for raspberry season): Chambord Royale, recipe courtesy of Chambord