Last of the Season Sangria

We are already in the middle of September, and to celebrate, I’m sharing this last of the season sangria. We’ve had sunny lovely days the last few weeks. But the nights have just a touch of autumn in the air and rain is in the forecast again. I’m a seasonal wine drinker: when it’s above 60 degrees, I’m much more inclined to drink white wine. When the temperatures dip consistently below that, I hibernate and start drinking red.

The last of the season sangria is the last hurrah for white wine. I used my favorite nostalgia wine for this sangria: Bridgeview’s Blue Moon Riesling. I’ll admit that the first time I bought Blue Moon Riesling, I was totally attracted to the bottle design. I knew it was a white wine, but had no idea the difference between a Riesling or a Chardonnay or any other wine in between. I just thought the bottle was pretty. I also call this my nostalgia wine because it always reminds me of my very first trip to Oregon, nearly twenty years ago. I had no idea at the time that I would eventually end up living in this beautiful place, much less living on the Oregon coast. I didn’t have any idea I’d also develop a deep appreciation for Oregon wines, but here we are.

This last of the season sangria has the velvety flavor of caramel. I combined brandy, orange juice, and Riesling for the base of the sangria, and then tossed in the fruit I had on hand. In this case, it was the stragglers from the last blueberries from the farmer’s market, a lemon, slices of orange, and slices of apple. You could also make this with plums, pears, etc. I highly encourage you to make this last of the season sangria, sit back on the patio on a warm autumn afternoon, and enjoy!