An easy white wine sangria recipe featuring gorgeous fall and winter ingredients like cranberries, apples, and oranges. This drink is refreshing, not too sweet (you can adjust it to your taste), and even slightly healthy with the addition of 100% unsweetened cranberry juice. It's elegant enough to serve at a holiday gathering, yet simple enough for a low-key weeknight dinner. (gluten-free & paleo) 

When the fall and winter holidays roll around, many folks get caught up on what to serve for main dishes, sides, and dessert, leaving drinks as an afterthought. All you need is a bottle or two of wine, right? 

Sure. That works. But if you want a tasty AND festive beverage that pairs well with your meal, look no further than sangria. 

This fruity wine cocktail is highly adaptable and perfect for making a day ahead of time, leaving you with less to stress on the actual holiday. That means more time focusing on food, friends, family, and cheer. Maybe even football if you like that kind of thing. ;)

Easy White Wine Sangria Recipe For Fall & Winter

Since turkey is one of the most popular main courses served at Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts here in the U.S., I decided to find some fall flavors to pair with it. Fresh cranberries and Honeycrisp apples are in season during the fall & winter, along with an array of citrus fruits, so that seemed like a winning combination to me.

(Tip: If you're not into cranberries, my apple cider sangria is another super tasty option for the fall season!) 

I purposefully chose a dry Riesling that had notes of apple and pear since I planned on adding raw honey, but you could definitely use a medium to sweet Riesling (or other wine) if you prefer. And I added a few splashes of 100% cranberry juice for tartness since fresh cranberries don't add much flavor; they're mostly for decoration.

If possible, I recommend letting the sangria sit in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours (overnight is best) to extract the sweetness and flavor from the fruit. 

However, it still tastes delicious if you have to whip up a batch on the spot. You may want to add a bit extra honey if that's the case.

This sangria is so freaking good that you should plan on keeping ingredients for an extra batch on hand. It goes down really easy if you know what I mean.

NOTE: If you're pressed for time and want to enjoy a fruity wine beverage in only 5 minutes, make a pitcher of my Easy Citrus Wine Spritzers or Strawberry & Blueberry White Wine Spritzers instead. 

Want to Make This Sangria Recipe? Watch The Short Video Below To Show You How!

Okay...before we jump into the recipe, let me answer a few questions about white wine sangria that you might have.

White Wine Sangria F.A.Q.

Can You Use White Wine in Sangria?

I know that seems like an obvious question, but lots of folks ask it. YES! Sangria is traditionally made with red wine, but you can definitely use white if that's your preference. Just don't go around calling it "traditional". There are so many delicious white wines that pair well with fruits that I think it's a shame not to experiment, ya know?

What Kind Of White Wine Is Good For Sangria?

Because sangrias typically contain fresh fruit, fruit juice, and an extra sweetener, it's best to go with a wine on the drier side so you don't end up with something super sweet that you'll need to dilute.

My favorites are dry riesling (most Rieslings are sweet so you will need to check the back label to ensure it's dry), sauvignon blanc, and pinot grigio. Chardonnay or any dry white table wine would also work.

If you want something more bubbly, swap out the regular wine with a dry sparkling wine like Vinho Verde (Portuguese - this is SO good), Prosecco (Italian), or Champagne (French).

Note: If you're new to wine or just like things on the sweeter side, you can omit the extra sweetener in the recipe (I use raw honey) and just pick a sweeter wine like Moscato (or any dessert wine). You can also swap out the sparkling water for tonic water. It's totally up to you!

Can I Make Sangria Without Brandy?

Totally. Brandy just adds an extra punch of alcohol, but you can omit it completely OR swap it out with another cordial of your choosing. A good option would be an infused liquor that matches the flavor of one of your fruits.

What Fruits Should I Use In White Wine Sangria?

There's no wrong answer here (mmm banana or plantain might be gross, now that I think about it)! Really any fruit works, but to make your sangria extra awesome, choose fruits that are in season and ripe. These will have the most flavor so your sangria will taste amazing. 

Beyond that, I like to look at the description on the back of my wine bottle and see if they mention any fruit flavors that stand out (like notes of pear, apple, plum, cherry, etc.) and then pick fruit based on that. 

Since this is a white wine sangria for the fall and winter season, I'm using cranberry, apples, and oranges. Other fall fruits you could use are pears, persimmons (they taste like pumpkin pie spice - SO friggin good), pomegranates, and blood oranges.

How Can I Make A Non-Alcoholic Version of Sangria? 

If you're wanting to get all the yummy fruit-infused sangria flavors without the alcohol (like for kids or adults who don't want to imbibe), a fruit juice mocktail is a good option.

In that case, I'd seek out a high-quality 100% fruit juice or blend that's naturally sweetened (or better yet, unsweetened and you can always add your own) like grape, apple, or cranberry and infuse that overnight with some chopped up fruit. Serve it with sparkling water on top to make it bubbly and fun.

Psssst...If you happen to make one of my recipes or DIY crafts and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter make sure to use the hashtag #therisingspoon and tag my account @therisingspoon so I see it! It helps me so much to get feedback on my creations and it totally makes my day.

Looking for more recipes using seasonal fall ingredients? Check out my Fall Recipe Index Here. 

Yield: Serves 6-8Author: Elaina Newton - The Rising Spoon

Fall & Winter White Wine Sangria

prep time: 10 MINScook time: 4 hourtotal time: 4 hours and 10 mins

An easy white wine sangria recipe featuring gorgeous fall and winter ingredients like cranberries, apples, and oranges. This drink is refreshing, not too sweet (you can adjust it to your taste), and even slightly healthy with the addition of 100% unsweetened cranberry juice. It's elegant enough to serve at a holiday gathering, yet simple enough for a low-key weeknight dinner. (gluten-free & paleo)

ingredients:

• 2 bottles of white wine* (My favorites are dry Riesling, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1/2 cup of raw honey** (sub cane sugar for a vegan version)
• 1 cup of fresh cranberries
• 2 large oranges
• 1 large apple (I use organic Honeycrisp)
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened 100% cranberry juice
• 1/2 cup of brandy (optional) 
• For Topping: plain sparkling water (like THIS sparkling mineral water or THIS canned sparkling water) OR sparkling wine like Prosecco, Champagne, or Vinho Verde

Recommended Equipment

• Glass pitcher (This is the one I used in the picture)
• Wooden spoon or large spatula
• Cutting board & knife
• Wine glasses or mason jars, for serving

instructions:

1. Measure the honey into your pitcher and add a few splashes of wine. Stir the honey until it's dissolved. 
2. Wash and dry the cranberries, oranges, and apple. Cut off the ends of one orange and slice the rest of it into thin slices, then place these in the fridge for garnishing the wine glasses later. Cut the other orange into wedges and then cut the wedges in half. Core the apple (discard the core or save it for another recipe) and cut it into small chunks. 
3. Add the cranberries to the pitcher. Squeeze the juice from the halved orange wedges into the pitcher, then place the spent oranges in with the cranberries.  Add the apple, followed by the unsweetened cranberry juice, and brandy.  Pour in the wine and stir well. Taste the mixture and, if necessary, add more honey a tablespoon at a time. (Note: After it infuses for several hours, which extracts the fruit juice, it will be slightly sweeter.)
4. Place in the fridge (covered) to infuse for a minimum of 4 hours and up to 24 hours. To serve,  add an extra orange slice and a few spoonfuls of the infused cranberries + diced apple into each wine glass, pour the chilled sangria over the fruit, then top with a bit of sparkling water.

notes

*If you want a bubblier sangria, omit the sparkling water at the end and use a dry Vinho Verde (Portuguese sparkling wine), Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine), or Champagne (French sparkling wine) as the main wine. 

**Before anything else, crack open your wine and give it a taste. Is it dry, medium-sweet, or sweet? Use this to gauge how much honey to use. If it's dry, you'll want to use the 1/2 honey cup and maybe a bit more depending on your personal tastes. If it's a sweeter wine (like a Moscato), you may want to use less honey or omit it entirely.  Just remember that you can always add extra honey, but you can't take it out.

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P.S. Keep Reading! More Posts From The Rising Spoon:

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