Sangria Set to Take Over the World
Photo credit: StockFood/Mans Jensen
Countless are the pleasures of lounging, chilled glass of sangria in hand, on a patio at the tail end of a breezy late-spring evening. So we’ll just focus on one: sipping on a fine, brandy-and-red-wine sangria dotted with sliced apples, oranges, and grapes.
The drink (of which there are several variations) has long been popular in its country of origin, Spain, where ancient Romans first planted vineyards 2,000 years ago. It’s also been a favorite in the United States for quite some time. But according to new findings from research group Mintel, sangria is on the verge of becoming an international hit.
When looking at consumers aged 18 to 24, Mintel found that about 71 percent of German consumers preferred wine with strong, fruity flavors. So do 59 percent of Spanish consumers, 58 percent of French, and 42 percent of Italian.
"In fact, they are far more likely to prefer fruity flavored wine than older wine drinkers for whom ‘dry’ wine is often considered superior,” reads a Mintel blog post. The firm concluded that the rise of fruit-flavored wines in Western Europe—notably grapefruit-flavored rosé in France—suggests that sangria “is about to finally become ‘on trend’ in wider European and even global markets.”
Now that’s the kind of world domination we can get behind.
Sangria
from Everyday Food
Serves 8
4 oranges, 2 juiced, 2 halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brandy
1 bottle dry red wine, chilled
2 lemons, thinly sliced
2 cups seltzer or club soda
Ice cubes, for serving
In a large pitcher, combine orange juice, sugar, and brandy; stir well to dissolve sugar. Add wine, orange slices, lemon slices, and seltzer; stir to combine. Fill glasses with ice before serving.
