White Summer Sangria

So I’m happy to say that Fake Food Free has transitioned to the Substack Newsletter called Every Corner of the World.

I hope to see you there.

I rarely have an occasion to make sangria, but last week we had a little Fourth of July party to break in the new kitchen. 

It was a simple affair – charcuterie, salad, and sausages on the grill. I had a lot of fruit around so stepping things up in the drink department seemed like a good idea. 

A fellow blogger and friend visited the Saturday prior and brought us some beautiful plums. I’ve also been trying to take advantage of the last few days of berry season around here so I’ve been buying up way more than we can eat. Sangria was a natural fit for all the fruit.

Everyone raved about this sangria.

I had to laugh a bit at that because it is probably the most simple drink I’ve made. I’ve come up with sangria recipes for clients before, some with a combination of juices, liqueurs and spirits for a splash of interest.

This was not one of those recipes. 

We picked up a couple bottles of Riesling from Costco. This time around it was Chateau Ste. Michelle out of Washington. Other than the fruit, I really couldn’t think of what else to add so I got some white grape juice. 

And don’t tell anybody, but Trader Joe’s didn’t have large containers of it. I bought a pack of kids 100% white grape juice boxes and had to cut them all open to pour them in. Where there is a will, there’s a way. 

That’s it – wine, fruit, juice. 

Any food blogger will tell you that this is always the way. Whether it’s in the form of compliments at a party or blog traffic, it’s always the recipes you put little effort into and make on a whim that get the most attention. 

This sangria definitely held true to that. 

It turns out that the combination really brought out the honey notes of the Riesling and the combination of stone fruits and berries really came through as well. I made it around 8:00 am and let it sit in the fridge until it was served at 4:00 pm. 

The recipe below is for one pitcher. It will serve 6 to 8 people. I made up a second batch for back up. Good thing, because it went fast. 

What you’ll need:

1 bottle (750 mL) riesling
2 cups (16 oz.) 100% white grape juice
1 white peach, pitted and sliced
1 yellow nectarine, pitted and sliced
1 plum, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 cup blueberries

How to make it:

Pour the wine and grape juice into a pitcher. Stir.  Add the fruits and stir again.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until well chilled. To serve, spoon some of the fruit into glasses (with or without ice) and pour the sangria over the fruit.