overhead photo of a pitcher of red sangria with fresh fruit on a bright white background

What I love about this red sangria recipe

The first time I ever had homemade sangria was at my friend Alex’s bachelorette weekend.  Of course, I had ordered sangria before at restaurants, but I found that they were always so full of juice and not very wine-y.

My friend Jane brought this red sangria as her drink to share, and it was perfect.  I never knew it was so simple it is to make.

She sent me this easy sangria recipe and I tested it out with the Cointreau we had gotten as a wedding gift from the team fan club.

If you like this recipe, you have to try this white peach sangria, and this Thanksgiving sangria and these frozen sangria wine slushies.

Looking for even more sangria recipes? Try my pink moscato sangria, rose sangria, Christmas sangria or apple cider sangria. If you’re looking for something nonalcoholic, try this virgin sangria.

a pitcher of red sangria with fresh fruit floating in the pitcher.

SHOP THIS RECIPE:

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. I will never recommend a product I don’t use or trust.

Ideas

Ingredients:

Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.

  • Cointreau – If you don’t have Cointreau, you can easily substitute triple sec or any other orange liqueur (or even a different fruity liqueur).
  • Red wine – Anytime I’m making cocktails with wine, I try to use a cheaper bottle of wine. I don’t recommend the cheapest of the cheap, but don’t use a really nice bottle of wine for sangria. It would be a complete waste.
    I think the best red wine for sangria is something on the sweeter side, like a pinot noir or a Spanish Rioja. If you have a few bottles that haven’t been finished, feel free to mix wines for sangria. It will give the drink a more complex flavor, but stick with similar flavor profiles if you can.
  • Fruit – For this recipe I chose to use strawberries, peaches, an orange, a lemon and a lime. Any of these fruits can be swapped with others! Try apples, pineapple, or fresh berries. Pears and grapes will also work for sangria.
  • Club soda – Add it just before serving to keep it nice and bubbly.
Close up of a pitcher of sangria with fresh fruit, strawberries, oranges and limes floating in it.

The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.

How to make this red wine sangria recipe

Dissolve sugar in juice and liqueur. Pour your sugar, orange juice and liqueur into a large glass pitcher. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

Add wine and fruit. Next, pour in your bottle of wine and add your sliced or chopped fruit. Stir to combine and submerge the fruit into the liquid.

Chill overnight. I like to chill my sangria overnight to let the fruit really do its job of flavoring the wine, but several hours should do the trick if you’re short on time.

Top with club soda. Before serving, top your pitcher off with club soda or top individual glasses as you serve them to prevent the soda from going flat.

More cocktail ideas. brandy old fashioned / jalapeño margarita / pink squirrel / saketini

recipe for sangria with red wine in a stemless wine glass garnished with fresh fruit and a polka dot straw, on a bright white background

Frequently asked questions

  • Does red sangria have to sit overnight? Sangria definitely needs to sit overnight. The longer it sits the more the fruit has time to flavor the wine. You can easily make it up to 2 days in advance without seeing any deterioration in flavor. I wouldn’t go much longer than that though, or you risk the fruit going bad.
  • Do you serve sangria over ice? I don’t always use ice cubes for my sangria, but this recipe is best served cold. If you’re serving this on a warm summer day, I’d definitely recommend ice. Bonus points if you make red wine ice cubes to use.
  • How long can you keep homemade sangria in the refrigerator? This red sangria recipe should last in the fridge up to 5 days, but that length of time will really depend on the freshness of the fruit you use. Use your best judgement to determine if it’s still good.
5 from 3 votes

Simple Red Sangria

By: Melissa Belanger
This simple red sangria recipe is made with Cointreau, red wine and fresh fruit. It’s an easy cocktail for a crowd and it’s perfect for spring and summer weather. Makes 1 pitcher – about 8 servings.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Ingredients 

  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup Cointreau, or triple sec
  • 1 bottle red wine
  • 1 1/2 cups club soda
  • Sliced strawberries, about 1 cup
  • 1 peach, sliced
  • 1-2 oranges, sliced
  • 1/2 lemon, sliced
  • 1/2 lime, sliced

Instructions 

  • Mix orange juice, lime juice, sugar and Cointreau in a pitcher until sugar is dissolved.
  • Add the wine, club soda and fruit.
  • Chill for about an hour before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 161kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 0.2g, Sodium: 16mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin C: 23mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

Hi! I'm Melissa.

I create easy, dairy free recipes because I know how hard living without milk can be. I believe you can live a completely satisfying life without dairy, and I want to teach you how.

You may also like:

5 from 3 votes

Leave a comment

When leaving a comment or rating:
Feel free to share your recipe feedback, ingredient swaps, or tips for other readers. Rating a recipe you changed isn’t helpful to anyone - drop it in the comments instead. Keep it kind and on topic - disrespectful comments and ad complaints will not be approved.

Recipe Rating




19 Comments

  1. Karyn Marie306 says:

    5 stars
    Serving Size:Calories: 0Sugar: 0 gSodium: 0 mgFat: 0 gSaturated Fat: 0 gunsaturated Fat: 0 gTrans Fat: 0 gCarbohydrates: 0 gFiber: 0 gProtein: 0 gCholesterol: 0 mg

    I would love to try this, but the nutrition indicates there is 0sugar. How can that be when you are adding 1/3 cup of sugar, and of course wine has sugar in it too. It comes from the grapes, but sugar nonetheless.

    1. Melissa Belanger says:

      Sorry about that, I have that updated for you!

  2. Sabrina says:

    5 stars
    My family loves sangria so I’m always looking for simple delicious recipes and this one did not disappoint! It was a huge hit with my family. Thanks for this, its a keeper.

  3. Julie says:

    Can I make this the night before? I know some recipes are actually better if they’re made ahead. Thanks! Excited to try this!

    1. Melissa Belanger says:

      Yes. It’s great when you make it the night before!

  4. Nicki says:

    5 stars
    Love this recipe 😋