The best fruit for sangria

Who doesn’t love a fresh, fruity glass of cold sangria? Although it seems so easy to do, choosing the right fruit for sangria is an important task.

What is the best fruit for sangria?  The best fruits for sangria are apples, oranges, lemons, strawberries, pineapples, peaches, and plums. Although you can be creative and try to come up with new fruit combinations for your sangria, the general rule is to add fruit that contains the same notes as the wine. 

This article is all about fruit in sangria, from the best options to tips for improving the flavor.

What is sangria?

If you don’t know what sangria is, you’re missing out. It is a wine-based drink to which slices or pieces of fresh fruit and other ingredients are added, such as sugar, fresh juice, spirits , etc.

Sangria, a refreshing Spanish drink, is popular at gatherings any time of the year.

Traditionally made with red wine, sangria now has many varieties. You can choose between red, white, rosé and sparkling wine . To increase the alcoholic content of the sangria, a small amount of liqueur, bandy or rum can be added.

Fresh juices and sparkling water are added to the sangria as a smooth mixer. To make the sangria fizzy, lemon or lime soda is added . Fresh juices are mixed with wine and spirit to add sweetness and a rich fruity flavor to the drink.

A small amount of sugar may be used to add sweetness.

Whatever beverage you add to the wine, make sure it doesn’t overpower the notes of a fine drink, especially if it’s a higher quality wine.

And, of course, you can’t forget the key part of any sangria: the fruit slices that bring together all the flavors and enhance the fruity notes of the wine.

What is the best fruit for sangria?

Sangria is not a drink with rules. You can always mix and find your perfect combination of wine and fruit. However, there are certain things that are worth keeping in mind when you want to make the best sangria for your event.

Although you can use almost any fruit for your sangria and come up with different fruit combinations, the general rule of thumb is to have at least two fruits in your drink: one citrus and one not .

Whichever fruit you choose, it’s best to let the drink sit for a few hours or overnight if possible. All the flavors will come together as the wine infuses with the fruit juices, and the fruit slices absorb the alcohol.

These are the best fruits to put in a sangria.

1. Apples

You can always count on apples. They are a basic fruit for sangria. You can cut them into bite-size pieces or thin slices.

When choosing an apple variety for sangria, it’s important to pay attention to the flavor profile of the fruit you’re going to use. Honeycrisp and Granny apples, for example, pair well with sweeter wines.

Due to their slightly tart flavor, these apple varieties balance the sweetness of the sangria.

2. Oranges

Another traditional fruit choice for sangria. If it’s the first time you’re preparing a sangria and you don’t know what citrus to put in it, then oranges. Blood orange is also a great option if you don’t have regular oranges on hand.

The oranges and apples in the sangria made with red wine are a perfect match.

In addition to adding the necessary citrus notes to your sangria, oranges also work great in a clear sangria pitcher.

3. Lemons

When citrus is said to be a “must have” in sangria, what comes to mind is lemon. If you are missing oranges, you can use lemons instead. However, lemons are good enough to be your first choice.

What makes lemons so great for sangria is that they work well not only in red sangrias, but also white and even sparkling wine-based ones.

The cold white sangria with lemons is a heavenly treat, almost like an alcoholic lemonade, especially on the hottest days.

4. Strawberries

Strawberries, and berries in general, are a very popular ingredient in bloodletting. Why? Because they are not excessively sweet and are only slightly acidic, so they provide the perfect balance to the sangria.

Strawberries taste best during the summer season. So preparing the ultimate white sangria for your summer events should be on your list.

If you don’t have strawberries on hand, you can use other berries, such as raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and grapes.

5. Pineapples

If you want to add a vibrant tropical flavor to your Spanish sangria, putting pineapple chunks in your drink is worth it.

Due to its unique flavor profile, which represents a balance between sweet and sour, pineapple pairs well with wines that have tropical notes.

Pineapple is especially good in white sangrias. You can also use a glass of pineapple juice to give the flavors an extra boost.

Pineapple can also be used in red wine sangrias.

6. Peaches

Nothing can beat juicy peach slices in white wine sangria.

Some peach varieties are tart and spicy, while others are sweet with a slight sourness. In any case, peaches are a nice addition to a well-balanced fruit combination in a sangria.

They pair well with citrus fruits, such as lemon and lime.

7. Plums

Plums are a delicious fall fruit. They can taste sweet, sour, and anything in between. So if you have plums on hand and you know what they taste like, you can balance their flavor with other seasonal fruits.

The plums bring the cherry notes to the wine and play beautifully with the fresh cherries in the red wine.

How to choose the right wine for sangria

It is good to know the main rule to combine the right type of wine with the right fruits.

First of all, when choosing a wine for sangria, it is recommended to opt for wines that are not too sweet , since you will add a lot of sweetness to the drink with the fruits and juices.

Also, young wines with fruity notes work better for sangria than older wines that are more tannic and oaky.

To find the most suitable combination of fruits for sangria, play with the fruity notes of the wine and enhance them with fresh fruits.

Plum and berry notes are popular in red wines, while citrus and orchard fruits are popular notes in white wines. Adding these fruits to the drink, along with others that pair well with them, will result in a well-balanced sangria.

Sangria and Fruit Pairing Combinations

Sangria is a drink that gives you plenty of room for creativity and your personal preferences. You can mix and match fruits and come up with unique combinations.

You can also experiment with the varieties of wine and the fruits that you put in them, but keep in mind that the goal is to enhance the notes of the wine and achieve a balanced flavor .

Here are some ideas on which wine to pair with all of the fruits mentioned, as well as fruit combinations that will result in a harmonious drink that isn’t overly sweet or sour.

Tips to improve your sangria

Make the sangria better? Is that possible? Well, we have some tips for getting the perfect sangria for your next gathering:

• Choose fruits that are in season - If you are making your sangria from scratch and have control over all the ingredients, from the wine to the fruits, opt for fruits that are in season and buy a bottle of wine with similar fruity notes. Fruits in season have a sweeter, richer flavor, and your sangria will benefit from it.
• Marinate the fruit - If you use fruits such as peaches, nectarines, cherries, plums or berries in your sangria, marinate them the day before to give your sangria a richer flavor.
• Let the fruits sit in the sugar - They will be candied and produce a delicious syrup that will then sweeten the drink instead of regular sugar. You can also add spices, such as cinnamon and cloves, to the fruits to add additional flavor nuances to the sangria.
• Use frozen fruit - Putting frozen fruit in your sangria, such as frozen blueberries, strawberries, or grapes, is a great way to keep your drink cold without adding ice. Adding ice dilutes the sangria and affects the flavor. Therefore, adding frozen fruit is a good way to keep the drink cold.

Can you add fruit to bottled sangria?

If you prefer to buy ready-made sangria rather than mix it yourself, you can take your drink to the next level by adding fruit. This will not only add freshness and color to your store-bought sangria, but also give it more flavor.

You can add seasonal fruits or see what fruit notes are present in the drink and go from there.