Summer White Wine Sangria

Easy to make and even easier to drink! This Summer White Wine Sangria is full of strawberries and oranges, sweetened with pineapple juice, and spiked with vodka for extra summer fun. Make-ahead with riesling or moscato, top with ginger ale and sip during your next gathering!

It’s almost my 29th year and I’m celebrating by sharing the first ever alcoholic drink on Project Meal Plan! It’s about time right? The best part is, the drink is MAKE-AHEAD FRIENDLY. So really, it’s on theme.

I love sangria, but I can rarely find the non-traditional kinds I gravitate towards in restaurants. Sweet, strawberries, citrus-y, delicious.

So for my birthday, I decided to create my own! I had a lot of fun testing this recipe. And by ‘testing’, I mean multiple weekends of sangria drinking at home and I’m not mad about it.

Watch how to Make Summer White Wine Sangria (1 minute 57 seconds):

What are the origins of sangria?

Traditional sangria roots are hard to trace, but many sources say it dates back to the Greek and Roman times. As the water was generally unsafe to drink, mixing it with a bit of alcohol and fruit became popular (source). 

Today, sangria is one of the most popular drinks in Spanish cuisine. Generally, red wine sangria is more traditional, but there are tons of variations, even within Spain itself. Recipes include wine, fruit, and sometimes a special liqueur. 

My favorite fact I learned while researching sangria – most Americans were first introduced to sangria during the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. The Spanish Pavilion offered a traditional red wine sangria, and it became wildly popular in the US after that (source).

What’s so summery about this summer white wine sangria?

• First of all, summer = cold drinks. That should be obvious to all. Cold drinks belong in summer.
• Along the same theme, nobody wants to put ice in their sangria because that just results in a watered down drink. Nobody likes that, no matter the season. My solution? Pineapple chunks as ice cubes!! This is my signature twist on summer sangria!!
• Strawberries GALORE. It’s a June thing.
• Summer is all about hanging out with your buds in the sun. A pitcher of Summer White Wine Sangria just completes the gang.

What kind of wine should I use for this summer white wine sangria?

I tested this sangria with two kinds of wine, to give you a couple options. 

• Moscato: I’m not a huge wine drinker, but when I do, I like it sweet. This is, of course, the sweeter of the two options I tried, and was my preference (I said I like it SWEET!). I also enjoyed using a sweeter wine because you don’t have to add quite as much sweetener (in this case, I used pineapple juice instead of a simple syrup or other sweetener). 
• Riesling: If you want your sangria less sweet, go for this option (if you want it even LESS sweet, reduce the pineapple juice). I still really enjoyed the sangria this way, but I prefered the moscato.

How do you make this summer white wine sangria?

First thing’s first: Freeze the pineapple chunks.

I grabbed a can of pineapple, set the juice aside for the sangria, then arranged the chunks on a small quarter sheet pan (affiliate link!) so they could freeze quickly. It’s super easy because you can freeze the pineapple chunks while the sangria is a-brewing.

Make sure the chunks aren’t touching or you get big globs of stuck together pineapple. We want individual pineapple ice cubes, not a pineapple ice hunk!!

After the pineapple is taken care of, grab yourself a big 2-quart pitcher (lids are optional, you can just cover the top with wrap of some kind). Place the cut strawberries and oranges in the pitcher.

Next, add all your liquids. Order doesn’t really matter. Fresh squeezed citrus juice, vodka, wine, pineapple juice. Then give it a stir, and fridge it for at least 4 hours. 

How do you serve this Summer White Wine Sangria?

To serve, add some frozen pineapple chunks to a glass. Fill the glass about 3/4 of the way with sangria and soaked fruit. Then, top with your favorite bubbles. I like ginger ale!

Ways to Customize This Summer White Wine Sangria

Here are some ways you can customize this recipe to make it perfect for you!

• Add a little more vodka for more of a kick! 
• Change the fruits, add some nectarines, peaches, apples, or other berries
• Use your favorite wine
• Pick any kind of bubbles, you could even try champagne

How long will this summer white wine sangria keep after being made?

After the first day, the fruit will become a bit soggy but it’s also soaked with alcohol, so it’s the best part!

Store covered in the fridge. I would recommend consuming the sangria within 3 days of making it.