Fall-Worthy Red Sangria Recipe

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Sangria is one of the most popular and easily adaptable alcoholic punches worldwide, so it's always worth having a recipe or two in your back pocket. This wine-based punch is not a modern invention, but rather one that's been around for many centuries. Though we associate modern-day sangria with having Spanish roots, versions of it can be traced back to the early Greeks and Romans who often drank their wine mixed with fruits, spices, and other flavorings — essentially, a type of sangria before it would've been called sangria. Nowadays, sangria can take on a whole slew of flavor profiles, including those with more seasonal ingredients.

This fall-worthy red sangria recipe, from the kitchen of recipe developer Jennine Rye, takes the basic concept of a classic sangria and makes it autumnal. Red wine is mixed with sweet brandy, spicy ginger beer, cinnamon sticks, and apple juice, for a warming and cozy drink with the perfect fall influence. No sangria would be complete without fruit, and this recipe uses some of the best seasonal produce (think pears, apples, plums, and figs) to complete its fall-forward flavor profile.

To begin this fall-worthy red sangria recipe, first you will need to gather the ingredients. For the fruit you will want an apple, a pear, plums, and figs. We recommend reaching for slightly sweeter varieties of apple such as Galas or Red Delicious, as anything too tart won't combine well with the other sweet and warming elements of this recipe. As for what type of pear works best, we recommend Concorde, Comice, Conference, or Bartlett. 

For the liquids you will want a bottle of red wine, brandy, apple juice, and ginger beer. To finish of your fall-worthy sangria, you will also want some cinnamon sticks and ice cubes.

Slice the apple, pear, plums, and figs into pieces.

Place the fruit into the bottom of a large jug or pitcher.

Pour the red wine over the fruit.

Add the brandy, apple juice, and cinnamon sticks to the pitcher and stir.

For best results, cover the sangria and transfer to the fridge for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.

When ready to serve, remove the sangria from the fridge give it a stir. Pour in the ginger beer and top off with ice.

Pour sangria into individual glasses and serve.

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Sangria is a wonderfully adaptable beverage, so even if you don't follow this recipe exactly as-written, you can still end up with a delicious and fall-forward drink. This recipe uses brandy as an additional spirit to add sweetness and warmth to the punch, but you can swap this out for other spirits with Fall flavors such as spiced rum, Italian Averna, toffee apple liqueur, or pear-based liqueurs. 

For additional adaptions, you can switch up your fruit choices by adding in pomegranate seeds, grapes, blackberries, and even persimmon for a different yet still seasonal finish to your sangria. Cinnamon sticks add that perfect hit of warmth, but you can also add other spices alongside the cinnamon, such as cloves, nutmeg, or cardamom, to really amp up the warming spice element to this sangria. Finally, apple juice is used to add a touch of sweetness to this drink, however you can swap this out for a tablespoon or two of maple syrup instead, which will add beautiful sweet caramel notes to your fall sangria.

While it's possible to adapt and augment a sangria recipe by adding a wide range of different ingredients, the one you can't really move away from is wine. Wine is the foundation of any sangria recipe, so it is worth taking the time to think carefully about which wine you should choose to make your punch recipe sing. While you don't want to reach for the cheapest wine on the shelf, you also don't necessarily need to splurge on an expensive bottle since there will be plenty of other flavors at play. A good wine option for this recipe is one that's fruity and not too tannic, and something that doesn't necessarily have a bold flavor on its own, so it will meld well with the other elements of the drink.

If we are being more particular, we do have some recommendations for the best wines for sangria. Our first recommendation is Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos, a smooth red wine boasting dark, ripe fruit flavors and notes of spice _ perfect for a Fall sangria. Another great option is Sobon Estate Rocky Top Zinfandel, with bold fruity notes and smoky spices. This red wine will stand up well against the other elements of this fall-worthy sangria recipe. Ultimately, many types of red wine will work for this recipe, but look out for one that is neither too dry nor too sweet, and one that ideally already has fruity or spiced notes at play. 

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