The watchword of the Spanish vacation, tinto de verano and sangria are a kind of Catholic kings of the patriotic drink. It is already known that with that of both riding, riding both, Isabel and Fernando, but transferred to the summer drinks.
easy, fast, friendly and, above all, cheap, There are few ingredients that are needed to start a tinto de verano or a sangria. Nor does it take much more care to put the sangaree —the English father of bloodletting— into a dance, but that is another story.
Wine (red, if we want to be purists), a soft drink (soda or lemon, that goes at will) and cut fruits (in the case of sangria) take care of the party. As a finish, huge amounts of ice so that the drinks are very cold.
However, Is any wine good to make a tinto de verano or a sangria? Well yes, obviously. Although that is the short answer and there are longer —and more elaborate— answers that do not necessarily mean spending a fortune on making a tinto de verano.
How to choose a good wine to mix in a tinto de verano or a sangria
no one is saying that let’s leave the wallet shivering and buy a Vega Sicilia to end up mixing it with Fanta or La Casera. Nor is it the intention of betting on a Pingus to put it in with chopped peaches and let it marinate there for hours.
However, the reality is that a tinto de verano or a sangria admits any red, but there are reds that do not suit him. Not because they get out of hand when it comes to paying, but because due to their own preparation they are not suitable for mixing due to flavor and even body.
You’re lucky if you thought to spend little money to make your tinto de verano. No one expects you to leave 20 euros per bottle to end up mixing it. Nor does it have to be a tintorro or the first brik wine you find in the supermarket.
It depends on tastes, of course, but there are wines and wines, which is obvious. Therefore, the first thing we recommend is that never use wines that are crianzas, reservas or grandes reservas to make a tinto de verano. Not for a question of price —also, but to a lesser extent— but because they are wines that have been aged in the barrel and, in most cases, will leave that woody, toasted and slightly sweet nuance that does not seem very identification of a tinto de verano.
Solà Fred 2022. DO Montsant
We do not look in the tinto de verano elegance, finesse or polished tannins: we look for fruitiness, freshness and a juicy character, which are the ones that do not stand out in wines that have been aged to a greater or lesser extent.
Therefore, our bets to make a quality summer red —or a sangria, or a kalimotxo, or a lemonade— is bet on young wines of the year. At most, that we go to profiles like those found in certain areas such as Ribera del Duero under the category of ‘Oak’ —with some wood, but very little, below the Crianza consideration—.
A matter of grapes and five affordable options
Valdelana Family Harvest 2022. DOCa Rioja
However, the fact of looking for a wine to make a tinto de verano is not only a matter of ageing, also grapes and the result they give. Again, it depends on taste, but my advice is to go for juicier and meatier wines, with more body, instead of lighter and more delicate options.
Borsao Youth Selection 2021. DO Campo de Borja
The path would be marked with powerful grapes like the tempranillothe garnachas of Aragon or the monastrell that we usually see in the Levant. That is to say, wines that have a high insolation, that They produce grapes with a lot of sugar and a good alcoholic volume and that they will not remain dissipated when mixed with a generous amount of soft drinks or soft drinks.
Rambla de Ulea 2020. DO Bullas
It depends on taste, of course, but look for a wine with little body and low graduation, already light in itself, and then ‘topping it off’ with a soft drink will completely destroy the concept of tinto de verano. On the other hand, if you find a wine with a little more forcefulness, I think it would be much more recommendable for making a proper summer tinto.
Images | Dorcky in Midjourney / Freepik
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