4 Easy Wine Cocktails To Make At Home

There's wine, and then there are wine cocktails — a whole new way to enjoy the delicious grape elixir. Always wanted to take your appreciation for vino to the next level? Now you can, and don't worry, there’s no need to go crazy with expensive wines. Here are four easy wine cocktails that you can make at home and the affordable bottles you can buy from our online wine store!

Wine Spritzer

Nothing beats the cold sip of a wine spritzer, and all you need is three or even just two ingredients. The spritzer is great for sipping on through the length of a hot afternoon, and it’s also an easy welcome drink to prepare if you’re hosting guests. White wines are the preferred style, but you can also use an inexpensive red variety. One of our favourite combinations is a crisp Chardonnay with ginger ale, or sometimes soda water for a low-calorie version. Another option to make this a bit sweeter would be to use Moscato.

Try these wines:
Miles from Nowhere Chardonnay 2019
Cousino Macul Varietals Chardonnay 2018
Marenco Strev Moscato d'Asti DOCG 2018

Ingredients:
(Per serving)
- 2 parts wine of your choice
- 1 part Sparkling water, tonic, or ginger ale
- Lemon Rind (any citrus peel will work, like lime, orange, and grapefruit)
- Ice, for serving

Instructions:
Fill a wine glass or highball glass with ice and pour in the wine followed by your mixer. Garnish with a lime wedge or orange peel and serve. We sometimes use a large wine glass so there’s plenty of room for everything. Pro tip: drop your mixer into the freezer for up to 20 minutes before you make your drink for a cold, clean, and totally refreshing spritzer.

Sangria

Chances are you’ve drunk this before at a nice Spanish restaurant. Sangria is festive, fruity and very tasty — great to pair with Spanish tapas, Mexican fare, or just for a cool drink in general. We think the best wine for sangria is a Garnacha (also called Grenache) or Pinot Noir as they’re full of fruity flavours and contain fewer tannins than other red wines (wines high in tannins can taste extra bitter and astringent when cold.) We also like to add a of splash of brandy to add some kick and make this a true cocktail, but that’s totally up to you.

Try these wines:
Cérvoles Celler Garnatxa 2018
Sella & Mosca Cannonau di Sardegna DOC 2018
Mt Difficulty Roaring Meg Pinot Noir 2018

Ingredients:
(Per pitcher)
- Bottle of red wine of choice, preferably Garnacha or Pinot Noir
- 1 cup fresh ripe fruits (we like Granny Smith apple or pear, berries, peaches, pineapple or some combination of these), chopped up
- Small lemon or orange, sliced into thin rounds
- 1/2 cup brandy (optional)
- Ice, for serving

Instructions:
Add the fresh fruit and sliced lemon or orange into a pitcher, along with a splash of brandy if desired. Pour the wine in and stir to combine, tasting and adjusting to your preference. Serve immediately in a wine glass with ice or let it marinate in the fridge for 2 to 5 hours for more fruity flavours.

Champagne Punch

Champagne tastes great on its own, but sometimes you want something with a bit more flair. Enter the Champagne Punch, a punch-style drink with balanced sweetness and acidity. While there are many diverse recipes out there, we like to use Brut Champagne (or any sparkling wine like Prosecco or Cava, if you don’t have some on hand), which is the driest variety you can get, for our recipe. Throw in some Grand Marnier or a triple sec like Cointreau for a lovely citrus flavour, while pomegranate juice and ginger ale (or tonic water) help to add dimension and fizziness.

Try these wines:
Champagne Chapuy Brut Tradition N.V
Champagne Tarlant Brut Tradition N.V
Buena Vista Carneros Sparkling Brut 2014

Ingredients:
(Per serving)
- 80ml Champagne, chilled
- 20ml Pomegranate juice
- 10ml Grand Marnier
- 10ml Ginger ale or tonic water
- Citrus slices (optional)

Instructions:
Stir the vodka, Grand Marnier, and pomegranate juice together, and pop them into the refrigerator for one hour to steep and take the bite of the vodka. Then, throw the bubbly along with ginger ale or tonic water. Garnish and serve.

Bellini

The Bellini is a popular sparkling wine cocktail with lovely peachy goodness. Originally, the Bellini used Prosecco and it's still made that way in Italy, but you’ll find variants all around made with Champagne and other sparkling wines. For the peach flavour, a purée of fresh white peaches is best and traditional. You can also use peach juice or nectar as a substitute, but the result won’t be as smooth and creamy.

Try these wines:
Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco Superiore NV
Cava Agustí Torelló Mata Brut Reserva 2016

Ingredients:
(Per serving)
- 115ml sparkling wine, chilled
- 1 small to medium peach, pitted and quartered
- 3 ice cubes
- 1/2 tbs sugar
- Peach slice (optional)

Instructions:
Make the peach purée by adding the peach, ice cubes, and sugar in a blender and pulsing until smooth. Pour the puree into a Champagne flute and slowly top with sparkling wine while gently stirring to incorporate. Garnish with a slice of peach if you like or simply serve.