Please Note: It is not important what variety of red wine you use for these or any other recipes. The kennuncorked.com rule for using wine for mixing with other ingredients be it a punch, a cocktail, or for cooking: “If you would not want to drink the wine by itself in a glass, then do not use it for a punch, a cocktail, or for cooking.” However, you do not need to use an expensive wine, but be sure you would drink it by itself. Lastly, there is no magical recipe to make perfect sangria!!

Some surprise history about Sangria.

• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry red wine
• 1/2 cup triple sec
• 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
• 1 orange, sliced into rounds
• 1 lime, sliced into rounds
• 8 maraschino cherries
• 2 cups carbonated water (optional)

In a large pitcher or bowl, mix together the brandy, lemon juice, lemonade concentrate, orange juice, red wine, triple sec, and sugar. Float slices of lemon, orange and lime, and maraschino cherries in the mixture. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. For a fizzy sangria, add club soda just before serving.

• 2 (750 milliliter) bottles red wine
• 1/8 cup white sugar
• 1 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 sliced fresh peaches
• 1 banana, peeled and sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick - crushed
• 1.5 liters lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage

In a large pitcher, combine red wine, sugar, apples, peaches, bananas and cinnamon sticks. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. When you're ready to serve, stir in the lemon-lime soda.

The name is Spanish and translates as “red wine of summer”. In the Costa del Sol it is common for locals to drink tinto de verano while tourists drink sangria. It is a refreshing wine-based drink similar to sangria which is very popular in Spain.

It is simpler than sangria, usually made from:

• 1 part red wine
• 1 part La Casera (a traditional Spanish brand of soda similar to any lemon-lime sparkling soda, but less sweet. (Casera can be replicated using a mixture of Sprite and Seltzer)
• Or mix the red wine with lemonade. Serve over ice, sometimes with a slice of lemon