Red Wine
Red wine is fermented from dark grape varieties with extended skin contact, giving it tannin, colour, and a range of fruit-forward to earthy flavours depending on the grape and region. Fuller-bodied, fruit-forward styles are usually preferred for mixing. It is the backbone of wine-based punches and the classic Sangria.
Common uses
- base for wine-based punches and Sangria
- adds body and tannin to built cocktails
Buying & storage
Weeks once opened: Opened, it is on a clock — oxidation flattens it well before the bottle looks empty. Refrigerate it and use it.
Buying: a mid-weight, fruit-forward red like Rioja or Garnacha is the most versatile choice for mixing
Storage: refrigerate after opening and use within 3-5 days, as it oxidizes once open
Before it goes
Use up red wine
Ranked by how much of it each drink uses and how little else it needs — the ones at the top will not send you back to the shop.
- Sangria
Uses 750ml. Also needs triple sec, orange juice, orange wheels.
- Mulled Wine
Uses 720ml. Also needs honey or brown sugar syrup, orange slices, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks.
Recipes
Cocktails containing this ingredient
Stand-in
Where red wine is a recommended substitute
Recipes that name it as a swap for something else, with what it replaces.
- Wine Spritzerin place of chilled dry white wine
Swap it
Possible substitutions
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