Sangria and A Box

Eric sometimes accuses me of being snooty about food and drink.  I bring up the fact that I'm perfectly happy drinking PBR (his favorite beer) and chowing down on the amazing chicken wings from the hole-in-the-wall bar he frequents on Monday nights.  But I also enjoy trying new flavors and different combinations and appreciating local or hand-crafted treats like Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams.  It's a curious dichotomy, but most of the time it works.

But I can't completely deny that I can be snooty about food and drink at times.  A perfect example:  I thought wine from a box could never be good.  I was channeling the likes of Franzia and the crazy drinking of Franzia that people did in college. Slap the sack? Box races? Yikes. Thankfully I never participated in any Franzia-related drinking (phew!).  So until this summer, I'd never tried wine from a box.  I avoided it like the plague, certain it had to be even worse than the worst bottle of wine I'd ever tasted (and that would be a particularly revolting German bubbly purchased from Trader Joe's for less than $6 for New Years...oof...lesson learned).

This summer, though, an article in Women's Health magazine made me think twice, informing me the boxed wines of today are actually really good wines.  They're no longer cheap wines made even cheaper (ahem, Franzia).  Many are produced by well-respected quality vineyards.  And there are even pros to buying boxed wine over bottled wine!  First, it's usually a better monetary value.  This box of Big House Red cost about $22 and holds the equivalent of three bottles.  Second, the wine is inside a plastic bag that collapses as you drink, preventing air from accessing the remaining wine.  This would prevent oxidation that can spoil an open bottle of wine in just a few days! Brilliant, I say! If I can't finish a bottle of wine in four days, I refuse to open the bottle. It just goes bad too darn quickly, and I hate wasting vino.

So, long story short, I tried one of the boxed wines mentioned in the article.  I went for Big House Red, a blend of 14 different grapes that created bold, rich, jammy fruit flavors equally perfect for grilled foods or dark chocolate. And if you're afraid that 14 types of grapes is too much and surely it tastes muddled, I promise you it's not. It's absolutely lovely--well-balanced and full-bodied.  Big House has masterful skill at blending because it highlights the best aspects of each type of grape.

In a glass, Big House Red is delicious.

In sangria, Big House Red is even more delicious.

And the best thing?  Three weeks after opening Big House Red to make sangria, I had a glass of wine and it was absolutely amazing, as great as the first glass.

Give quality boxed wines a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised. I was!

Red Wine Sangria
From Made in Spain by Jose Andres
Makes 1 pitcher

Ingredients:
1 bottle red wine
1/4 cup brandy
1/4 cup orange liquor
1/4 cup unflavored vodka
splash of ruby port
2 oranges, thinly sliced into rounds
2 Granny Smith apples, cubed
1 strip of lemon zest
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
splash of soda water

Preparation:
Wash your oranges, apples, and lemon, then cut accordingly.

Combine all ingredients except for the orange juice and soda water in a large pitcher.  Stir and refrigerate for at least 4 hours..though overnight or 12-24 hours is best.

Before serving, add the orange juice and soda water. Give it a brief stir and serve.

Notes:
--I prefer dry wines, so I've only ever used those when making sangria (or anything, really).  And I prefer Spanish wines because I am the most familiar with them.  My favorite? Tempranillo, which is full of rich dark berry flavor and a hint of spice.  You can find a lot of wines made with tempranillo grapes (either 100% or a blend) that are very reasonably priced from $8 to $15.  I am especially partial to Tarima (it has a huge flower on the label), which is about $11.

--I didn't happen to have any brandy on hand, so I swapped in something I did have.  I used a 1/2 cup of Grand Marnier, a blend of cognac and orange liquor, to meet my brandy and orange liquor needs.

--I've made this sangria with and without ruby port, depending on whether it's in the house.  It's nice if you have it, but it's not a make it or break it ingredient. There's plenty of flavor without it!

--I used my favorite vodka, Buckeye Vodka, produced in Dayton, Ohio.  Please try to avoid the hangover-inducing vodkas you might have known in your college days (I'm looking at you, Kamchatka. You know what you did.).

--To get a strip of lemon zest, use your vegetable peeler and then use a knife to scrape the white pith off.  If you don't have a vegetable peeler, cut a section of the peel off of the citrus and scrape/cut the white pith off.  I typically use a 2-4 inch strip of zest.

--A friend of mine asks for the sangria-soaked fruit when the pitcher is done. Give it try...maybe you'll look forward to finishing the pitcher too.