SANGRIA MATEO

Red wine—I like big, juicy, fruity, intense reds like malbec, bonarda and garnacha.  Valdepeñas reds are also perfect (Señorio de Llanos is my favorite).

White wine—good to add a white for every 3-4 reds.  White rioja is great and inexpensive.  Nothing too sweet—albariño if you must.

Brandy—a cheap and intense Spanish brandy like Magno or Fundador.  Don’t be stingy with it; a half bottle or more for every 4 bottles of wine.

Fruits—ripe and juicy fruit like peaches, cherries and mangoes.  Oranges of course.  Chop the fruit up finely and toss it in.

Orange juice—instead of sugar if it needs sweetening.  Nothing like fresh-squeezed!

Cinnamon—stick or powdered, just a little.

That’s it.  Serve it cold and/or over ice and with a little sparkling water if you want effervescence.  We made it almost everyday this past summer and it puts such a nice glow on a beautiful day.   We’re making it tomorrow—that’s the inspiration for this post—and we’ll continue right on through the winter.  Y porque no?  (I can’t figure how to type that upside down question mark)