Sangria Wine: Recipe for Silly Season

It’s the start of the Silly Season, typified by the populace uprooting en masse for vacation haunts, a slowdown of serious news, and the last hurrahs of the lazy days of summer before we all return to the grind of work and school.

In my mind, the best drink for the Silly Season is Sangria. I know it’s blasphemy for serious wine lovers, but what’s wrong with taking a break from all that sniffing and swirling and just having some fun? I discovered Sangria not in sunny Spain, but in hot, muggy Michigan, where the summers demand that a cool beverage be at hand at all times. It’s one of the most popular drinks at a local pizza joint in the town where I grew up, and is always my tipple when visiting family in the area. While the Sangria at the pizza joint is good, we always have fun creating our own recipes at home. I remember many summer evenings carrying the frosted green glass pitcher of the latest concoction across the hot brick patio, then sinking contentedly into a lounge chair for good conversation with family and friends. Blending sweet and tart flavors, Sangria is always cooling, icy, and intensely refreshing. To my mind, it’s the perfect summer drink, magically combating heatstroke, humidity and early evening malaise.

Originating in Spain as a party punch, Sangria is typically a blend of wine, fruit, fruit juice, sparkling soda or soda water, and sometimes brandy or other spirits. Traditionally using red Rioja wine, it can also be made with white wine for Sangria Blanco, or even sparkling wines including Cava or a good domestic U.S. sparkler.