Red Wine Sangria (5 Ingredients!)

The easiest and only sangria recipe you will ever need. With only 5-ingredients, this red wine This classic Red Wine Sangria is the perfect pitcher cocktail recipe and the only one you’ll ever need! With only 5-ingredients, this red-wine sangria is boozy, fruity and simple! Perfect for entertaining!

This classic red sangria is literally the easiest and only sangria recipe you will ever need. It’s so delicious - light, fruity and absolutely boozy!

Large batch cocktails like sangria are the best for entertaining. They’re totally customizable and can (and should be!) made in advance! A total crowd-pleaser that is flexible for anyone. 

Pitcher cocktails make it even easier for hosting (or for bringing to a friend’s!). Red wine sangria is of course a classic, but you can also try White Wine Sangria, Rosé Sangria, or other pitcher drinks like Apple Cider Punch or Watermelon Blueberry Punch! 

You can even make a batch of Mulled Wine, which is kind of like a warm sangria. Or have you tried a combination of my two faves: margarita and sangria aka a Red Wine Sangria Margarita!

I’m a huge fan of red-wine sangria! I first had it in Spain, but I quickly found my favorite local places to get sangria because I needed my fix. I love tapas and sangria is of course the perfect pairing!

The inspiration for this easy 5-ingredient red wine sangria comes from those delicious Spanish tapas nights I love.

Jump to:

• Classic Sangria Ingredients
• Best Wine to Use
• How to Make Sangria
• How to Serve
• 💭 Top Tips
• Other Large Batch Cocktails
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Classic Sangria Ingredients

There are four classic ingredients for any kind of sangria.

1. Wine 

Use any kind of wine or champagne you’d like. Pick your choice from Red, White, Rose, Champage, or Prosecco. I always choose a medium priced bottle of win (about $10-$15) to make a sangria. Because wine is the base of the sangria, you don’t want to go too cheap!

2. Fruit

Fruit infuses with the wine to give a fresh fruity and sweet flavor. Use whatever fresh fruit is in season! 

The most common and simple fruit to add into a sangria  is oranges and apples.

Great fruits to include are: oranges, apples, pears, peaches, berries, or blood oranges. A helpful tip is to see what fruits are ingredients in the wines you choose.

3. Sweetener 

While sweetener is optional, it’s a helpful ingredient to balance out the bitterness of the wine. For red-wine sangrias you could use agave nectar, white sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, or even a simple syrup.

For this red wine sangria recipe, I omit sugar and instead top with ginger beer. This adds the sweetness to balance out the wine! You can substitute for ginger ale (sweeter result) or club soda (less sweet result).

4. Liqueur or Liquor 

For a real boozy (and good) sangria, you need to add liquor or liqueur. Depending on what type of wine you choose, I like to add Brandy, Cognac, Vodka, Tequila, Gin, or Orange Liqueur. Brandy or Cognac is classic in red-wine sangrias, with vodka, tequila or gin popular in white-wine sangrias. 

There’s no one right way to do it! You can always omit liquor for a less boozy sangria.

To add an extra orange flavor, I use Cointreau in this red-wine sangria. Triple Sec is a direct substitute for Cointreau, but I find it more sugary and to cause headaches!

Best Wine to Use

If you’ve ever wondered “what’s the best wine to use in sangria” then you’re exactly like me (and probably almost everybody).

The best wines to choose for a red wine sangria are those lower in tannins: Grenache, Tempranillo, Zinfandel, or Pinot Noir. If you use a cabernet sauvignon or other red wine that is higher in tannins, it will taste more bitter when cold.

Avoid sweeter wines as it will result in an overly sweet sangria (unless that’s your preference!). 

How to Make Sangria

First, prepare the fruit. Slice the orange into small wedges and dice the apple into cubes. Make sure the fruit is thoroughly washed in advance. 

Place the chopped oranges and apples into the pitcher. You can press lightly on the fruit to muddle it and release some of the flavors.

Pour in the liquids. Add the red wine, cointreau and ginger beer into the pitcher. It may seem like pouring the ginger beer in advance would remove its bubbles, but by adding the ginger beer in advance it removes some of the sweetness!

Stir completely and then transfer to the fridge. The sangria should chill for at least four hours and up to overnight.

How to Serve

I serve sangria in a pitcher and then pour into glasses filled with ice.

I like to make sure that orange slices and apple chunks are in each glass as it makes a pretty garnish! You can also add a cinnamon stick!

💭 Top Tips

Use the right wine. Choosing the proper wine (one lower in tannins like grenache, tempranillo, zinfandel or pinot noir) will result in a better sangria. 

Best ingredients possible. Since there are only a few ingredients in sangria, the better quality ingredients, the better. Using sub-par ingredients means an eh sangria. Be as choosy as the budget can allow. 

Make the sangria ahead. It tastes better when it has time to cool in the fridge.

In a rush? No worries, place ice in individual cups and pour sangria over.

Wash your fruit thoroughly.Don’t go too cheap with wine. The wine is the base of the sangria, so choose a wine that is good enough to drink by itself. I like to choose a bottle for around $8-12.

Other Large Batch Cocktails

• Rose Sangria
• White Wine Sangria
• Spiked Apple Cider Punch
• Spiced Mulled Wine
• Watermelon Blueberry Vodka Punch
• Vegan Eggnog

📖 Recipe