Why You Shouldn't Use An Expensive Wine When Making Sangria

In the world of wine, you have two opposite spectrums of enthusiasts. On one side, you have the educated sommeliers who know everything about how the legs affect the wine's quality and which wines pair best with even unfamiliar meals. Then you have the opposite side -– folks who just enjoy sipping on a tasty beverage among friends. Sangria is a crowd-pleaser for people in both categories. The beauty of this fruity-flavored refreshment is that you don't have to fork over much cash to make it at home.

Joe Mele is a sommelier and co-host of The Wine Pair Podcast, where he aims to make everything vino fun and accessible to the average Joe. When we asked him whether sangria is better with high-quality wine, he didn't hesitate. "The simple answer is no." In fact, not only will it not make a better libation, you'd simply be overdoing it. "You are wasting a good wine if you use it in sangria," Mele said. "Better wines do not make better sangria, and since you are mixing the wine with fruit and other sweeteners, the quality of the wine is not important."

When sangria is served, folks know they're about to have some fun, not get stuck talking to someone they feel like they have to impress with an in-depth knowledge about tannins. "This is a wine for parties and crowds, not for wine snobs or fancy dinners," Mele said. Instead of shelling out big bucks for a top-shelf vintage, think more along the lines of cheap wine from Trader Joe's.

You might think it'd be money well spent to splurge on the vino, but Joe Mele disagrees. "The classic wines for red Sangria are Rioja (made from Tempranillo) and Garnacha (this is the Spanish name for Grenache) wines from Spain," he said. "You should be able to find great options in the $10 to $15 range. Some examples include Campo Viejo Garnacha and Borsao Garnacha."

Red sangria pairs well with meaty barbecue fare like a BBQ charcuterie board. Yet, if you're serving something lighter, like chips and salsa or a dessert platter, white sangria may better complement those flavors. And because it usually has less horsepower (red wines tend to have a higher ABV), it's a terrific choice for longer parties that extend well into the night.

Thankfully, you can skip the top-shelf white wine as well. "If you want to make white Sangria, look for Vinho Verde and wines made from Verdejo, which are easy to find in the $10 range." With all the sweet, fruity flavors in sangria, no one will even notice what type of wine you used to make it. Why spend extra money for no benefit?