I’ll admit I’ve been fortunate: one of my best friends in the world is from Spain & she was the first person to introduce me to a glass of Sangria. So, I understand I’ve had a taste of something that most people don’t have an inkling of what true traditional Sangria is supposed to taste like. With that in mind I have to mention my disappointment at the mass population: Get some standards people!
My sister in law and her family get very excited for parties & get-togethers for their “Special Sangria”. I had a glass once, I politely excused myself to the bathroom and spit it out in the toilet. This is a group of well educated, fairly wealthy people and they drink this crud like crazy. It was, esssentially, a pre-made boxed "sangria" with some extra booze & diced apples in it.
Yes, I’m a cork dork but you don’t have to use expensive wine to make Sangria taste good. It’s the other things you put in it. With this being said an old saying from my “Soup Daddy” (those of you who went to school w/ me will get the joke) in Scottsdale comes to mind. “If you put crap & dirt in your stock, soup or sauce, that’s what it will taste like.”
There are good inexpensive wines out there…. Some even come in boxes, believe it or not, that are perfectly suitable for Sangria. I prefer a traditional spicy red sangria, but I was intrigued & delighted to be introduced to some new ideas and varieties. About two weeks ago (I’ve been meaning to mention it sooner but I’ve been ill) our wine meetup club had a Sangria night. Everyone was encouraged to bring their own variety of sangria and be creative about it. The majority of the group had never had Sangria so they had no preconceived notions of what it should taste like… which was a wonderful thing.
We met at a local Mexican chain in Harrisburg called El Rodeo. I will warn you if you’ve ever had truly good & authentic Mexican food, do not go there. Sadly most of the group hadn’t and they thought the food was great. Ignorance is bliss I suppose. ….. But I digresss…..
There were so many varieties that folks came up with. There was a wonderful one with a riesling base and peaches. Another was a local blackberry wine enhanced with fresh blackberries and mint. One of my favorites was a red wine with mangoes, watermelon and apples. IT was great trying the 15 or 20 different ideas everyone had. We were all pretty buzzed by the end of the evening (we usually are at this meetup) and everyone had a great time. The one theme that came out of the evening was that the spicier the food, the sweeter the sangria should be…… and don’t be afraid to add a plethora of hard alcohol to your concoction. And most importantly…. Enjoy it with a crowd of friends!
My sister in law and her family get very excited for parties & get-togethers for their “Special Sangria”. I had a glass once, I politely excused myself to the bathroom and spit it out in the toilet. This is a group of well educated, fairly wealthy people and they drink this crud like crazy. It was, esssentially, a pre-made boxed "sangria" with some extra booze & diced apples in it.
Yes, I’m a cork dork but you don’t have to use expensive wine to make Sangria taste good. It’s the other things you put in it. With this being said an old saying from my “Soup Daddy” (those of you who went to school w/ me will get the joke) in Scottsdale comes to mind. “If you put crap & dirt in your stock, soup or sauce, that’s what it will taste like.”
There are good inexpensive wines out there…. Some even come in boxes, believe it or not, that are perfectly suitable for Sangria. I prefer a traditional spicy red sangria, but I was intrigued & delighted to be introduced to some new ideas and varieties. About two weeks ago (I’ve been meaning to mention it sooner but I’ve been ill) our wine meetup club had a Sangria night. Everyone was encouraged to bring their own variety of sangria and be creative about it. The majority of the group had never had Sangria so they had no preconceived notions of what it should taste like… which was a wonderful thing.
We met at a local Mexican chain in Harrisburg called El Rodeo. I will warn you if you’ve ever had truly good & authentic Mexican food, do not go there. Sadly most of the group hadn’t and they thought the food was great. Ignorance is bliss I suppose. ….. But I digresss…..
There were so many varieties that folks came up with. There was a wonderful one with a riesling base and peaches. Another was a local blackberry wine enhanced with fresh blackberries and mint. One of my favorites was a red wine with mangoes, watermelon and apples. IT was great trying the 15 or 20 different ideas everyone had. We were all pretty buzzed by the end of the evening (we usually are at this meetup) and everyone had a great time. The one theme that came out of the evening was that the spicier the food, the sweeter the sangria should be…… and don’t be afraid to add a plethora of hard alcohol to your concoction. And most importantly…. Enjoy it with a crowd of friends!
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