Who doesn’t love a nice glass of sangria? This white wine lemon sangria is not what one thinks of as traditional sangria.
Sangria is most often associated with Spain or Portugal. The traditional recipes will consist of red or white wine, a sweetener, a small amount of brandy and sliced or chopped fruits consisting of citrus, stone fruits, berries or any fruit you desire. The sweeteners can be honey, sugar, simple syrup, or sweet fruit juices such as apple or orange. Other liquids, such as Seltzer, 7-Up or a good lemon-lime carbonated beverage may be added depending on your taste. So you can see there are ample opportunities to make sangria in many different ways.
An interesting fact is as of January 2014, under European law, the use of the word sangria in labels is now restricted to sangria only made in Portugal and Spain.
While I was creating this White Wine Lemon Sangria recipe, I was reminded of an event some time ago when I had a large gathering in my home. In preparation for the gathering, I had made my traditional red wine sangria. I couldn’t make it fast enough. In the next few days, I went through a case of wine to accommodate their thirst for the stuff… seriously! That said, I’m quite sure the following white wine sangria recipe will be just as popular.
Now let’s move on to my White Wine Lemon Sangria recipe.
White Wine Lemon Sangria
Ingredients: 4 to 6 servings
- 750ml bottle good quality Sauvignon Blanc
- 2 oz Cointreau
- ¾ cup lemon juice freshly juiced (approximately 5 to 6 medium lemons)
- ⅓ cup orange juice freshly juiced (approximately 1 large orange)
- ¼ cup sugar
- (Optional) 12 ounces of 7-Up or a good lemon-lime carbonated beverage
Garnish:
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1 orange, sliced
- 12 strawberries cleaned and halved
- 12 white seedless grapes cleaned and halved
Directions:
Pour the wine into a pitcher or jar with a lid. Juice the fresh lemons and orange to the specified quantities. Combine the two juices and pour through a strainer into the pitcher or jar with the wine; add the sugar and Cointreau and stir until the sugar dissolves. Close the lid and chill overnight.
Pour the White Wine Lemon Sangria into a fun decorative decanter or sangria pitcher. (Optional: if desired, add the carbonated lemon-lime beverage at this time to ensure bubbles are fresh.) When ready to serve, divide and place the fruit in each glass. Reserve some of the citrus slices to garnish the side of each glass. Fill each glass with sangria and add the garnish. Enjoy.
Notes: Always clean your lemons and oranges thoroughly before juicing. Make sure they are fully ripe and not too green. It makes a difference in the taste. (I used my hand juicer from Williams-Sonoma, my go-to juicer, for its portability and ease of use). While you’re at it, take a moment to check out the Williams-Sonoma Juicer Page.). You may substitute Cognac for Cointreau if you so desire. I prefer to add the fruit to the sangria at the time I serve it. I’ve found that leaving the fruit to steep in the sangria too long can change the taste of the sangria, most often not for the better. I prefer my sangria without the carbonation, so I rarely add it. I also prefer my sangria a bit on the tart side; if you prefer it a bit sweeter then add a bit more sugar and/or orange juice to taste.
What I love about this recipe is the bright citrus fruit juice taste that complements the Sauvignon Blanc. It is such a great match; one anyone would enjoy. As my testers would attest, this White Wine Lemon Sangria recipe is sure to be requested many times over. I almost didn’t have enough left over from the testing/tasting for pictures… :-). It is that good.
With the summer now coming to a close, even though it’s still hot, the evenings are starting to cool. You can tell fall is just around the corner. To me, it’s the perfect time to enjoy a nice, cold glass of this White Wine Lemon Sangria. Salud!
Time for a glass…
If you enjoyed my “White Wine Lemon Sangria” recipe, check out The Original Irish Coffee, Easy Homemade Mulled Wine, and Bloody Mary.
P.S.: Check out a few of my favorite wine tools and resources below. 🙂