Patios everywhere are filling with people sitting outside to enjoy a refreshing drink in the sunshine. Two popular options include Spanish summer drinks, Tinto de Verano and Sangria, a favourite of holidaymakers. They are strikingly different in taste, but often confused with one another.
Both drinks share a Spanish background, with Tinto de Verano being more popular among the Spanish whereas Sangria is widely known among tourists and internationally. Both have a red wine base and are known as outdoor drinks for during hot weather.
Sangria is a complex mixture of red wine, fruit, liquors, sugar and ice. The ingredients make it sweeter than its Tinto de Verano counterpart, as well as heavier. It has more alcohol content too, because it includes both wine and other liquors, and it is more commonly enjoyed in a group setting, or to share with a meal. They’ve been drinking Sangria in Spain for centuries, and although it is commonly attributed a Spanish origin, many take credit for introducing it to the world. There are a few theories explaining its creation. It is said to have been created in the 19th century by Spanish peasants using the excess of wine and fruit about to expire. Others say it has its origins in the Antilles, the British colonies, or maybe in Ecuador during the Spanish colonisation era.
There isn’t a definitive recipe to prepare Sangria but rather multiple combinations of the same method. For example, it could be made with white wine, the liquors could be brandy or cognac, and even a stick of cinnamon could be added. Fresh fruits added include oranges, peaches, lemon, pineapple and apples. To the final mixture you add honey, sugar, and orange juice or soda. Sangria is undoubtedly sweeter in taste due to its ingredients but is also softer on the mouth compared to the strong bitter-tasting wine that is the Tinto de Verano.
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As indicated in the name, Tinto de Verano is meant for summer, “verano” meaning summer in Spanish. This drink is the combination of wine, a sparkling soft drink – often lemonade – and lots of ice. The beverage has its origins in Córdoba, Spain, where in 1920 wine-seller Don Federico Vargas created the mix to make wine softer and lighter in taste.
The Tinto has a sourer touch, with just the wine and lemonade, or juice, added to it. The red wine required for its preparation should preferably be young with a low acidic point. Some people like to add a slice of watermelon to make it sweeter but is more common to just add a slice of lemon. Its flavour is lighter and refreshing, making it a perfect choice to drink on a warm afternoon.
The preparation for the Tinto requires red wine (or white, if you prefer), sparkling water and lemon juice, or soda, and lots of ice. It can be served immediately and preferably in large glasses. It is a great choice to offer at a party as a lighter option, not likely to give guests a hangover.
Chef Guillermo Ramirez, from Gran Canaria, is returning to Dublin for the Taste of Dublin Food Festival at Iveagh Gardens this week, where he will be part of the Tasting Spain restaurant space presenting food from different Spanish regions. Ramirez is a fan of Tinto de Verano over sangria. “Sangria adds too many things, so it can lose the taste of the wine. With the Tinto, yes, you add soda, but the flavour of the wine is there,” he says
Ramirez says the best wine to prepare the Tinto is a “young, fresh wine. In the end, we want something fresh. We want the summer, the heat and ice, so those young wines work best.” .
