What is the best wine for sangria?
The best wine for sangria is a cheap, fruity, low-tannin Spanish red like Borsao Garnacha (about $9) or Campo Viejo Tempranillo (about $11); for white sangria use a crisp Pinot Grigio like Ecco Domani (about $10).
Sangria is wine with fruit, a little sugar, a splash of brandy or orange liqueur, and time in the fridge. Expensive wine is wasted here, but bad wine still tastes bad. What you want is something juicy and soft, without much tannin (the drying, grippy feeling), because tannin turns bitter once it sits with citrus.
Red sangria
1. Borsao Garnacha
about $9Garnacha (Grenache)
Spanish, ripe, red-berry fruity and soft. Pretty much the textbook sangria wine at a sangria-friendly price.
2. Campo Viejo Tempranillo Rioja
about $11Tempranillo
Cherry and a little vanilla from Spain's most famous region. Makes a sangria that tastes like a tapas bar.
3. Alamos Malbec
about $10MalbecGood buy
Plummy and smooth. Not Spanish, but its juicy fruit works beautifully with orange and apple.
White and rosé sangria
4. Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio
about $10Pinot GrigioGood buy
Light and lemony, a clean base for peaches, green apple and a splash of elderflower liqueur.
5. Matua Sauvignon Blanc
about $10Sauvignon BlancGood buy
Zingy grapefruit and lime. Great with citrus, mint and cucumber for a sharper, more refreshing pitcher.
6. La Vieille Ferme Rosé
about $9Grenache, Cinsault and SyrahDrink this one
Strawberry-light and dry. Add strawberries, watermelon and a splash of lemonade for an easy pink sangria.
For a crowd, and the fizz
7. Bota Box Old Vine Zinfandel (3L)
about $20Zinfandel
Four bottles of jammy red in one box. A full party's worth of sangria for about $5 a bottle.
8. Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut
about $11Macabeo, Xarel-lo and ParelladaGood buy
Top each glass with a splash of Spanish cava right before serving for a sparkling sangria.
Good to know
- Skip big, oaky Cabernet
- Heavy tannin and oak taste harsh and bitter once they sit with fruit. Save the Cabernet for steak night.
- Let it sit at least two hours
- Mix it in the afternoon so the fruit soaks up the wine. Overnight is fine too; pull the citrus out after a day or the rind turns bitter.
- Add bubbles last
- Soda water, lemon-lime soda or sparkling wine goes in the glass, not the pitcher, so it stays fizzy.
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Last checked 2026-10-04. Selection and prices vary by store and state.