Learning to Love Sangria

Balearic Islands, Spain

Neither of us has ever really cared much for Sangria. The ones we’ve had in the past were just too sweet. Adding sugar and fruit to perfectly good wine seemed like a waste. But when we arrived in Spain, everywhere we went, people were drinking Sangria, white wine Sangria, red wine Sangria, Cava (Spanish Champagne) Sangria. So while in Spain, we decided to do what the Spanish do and we began our search for (in our opinion) the perfect Sangria. Mike and Linda from Aquila, and their guests Ray and Mikey, joined in the quest.

It is good to have more people, as Sangria is typically only sold by the liter and it often takes several liters to come to a conclusion. We were surprised to see so much variation in the ingredients of Sangria. All use some sort of wine of course; other possible additions include fruit juices, Sprite or 7 Up, brandy, Contreau, banana liquor, citrus fruits, berries, mint and ice. We took a very scientific approach, dissecting the ingredients and evaluating the effectiveness of the combinations. We began our search in Mallorca, continued in Ibiza and Formentera, and even attempted to duplicate our favorites on Berkeley East and Aquila. The result is that we have really learned to love Sangria. We like red wine Sangria with just a touch of mint, and dry Cava Sangria, served ice cold on a very hot day in the Balearic Islands.

Some contenders include:

Cava Sangria at the Blue Marlin in Ibiza, where they give you a small pitcher of the mix and a full bottle of Cava to add as you wish.

The red wine Sangria in Soller, Mallorca, the only place that used fresh mint in the recipe.

The Cava Sangria at the Trench Beach Bar tasted good and had lots of orange juice, but we enjoyed the dancing more than the Sangria.

The famous Café Del Mar in Ibiza was a wonderful experience but Mojitos were favored over the Sangria.

And the winner is: The Cava Sangria at Roxy Beach Bar. Sadly, they would not give us the recipe, claiming it to be a family secret.