Sangria

Sangria is the classic wine punch of Spain and Portugal: red wine sweetened and poured over chopped fruit, lightly fortified with a splash of brandy, brightened with citrus, and lengthened with a little soda or sparkling water before being served very cold over ice. It is at once a drink and a method — an everyday way to stretch and refresh a jug of ordinary table wine into something fruity, sociable and gently alcoholic. The name means bloodletting, after the deep blood-red colour of the wine, and the drink is inseparable from the long table, the summer terrace and the shared pitcher. Under European Union law only versions made in Spain or Portugal may simply be called Sangria.