Wine spritzers are thirst-quenching, fresh, low-alcohol drinks that are just perfect for summer drinking. Some wine drinkers turn up their noses at them, but when the sun is out, there are few more refreshing drinks. Spritzers are a great low alcohol alternative to prosecco and Champagne. They allow you to sip and refresh without imbibing too much alcohol. I wouldn’t use my finest wines for a spritzer, but neither would I use the very cheapest.
Most spritzers are made using white wine, but you can use rosé and red wine too. The recipe generally calls for three parts wine to one part soda water or sparkling mineral water. Some add ice, but provided the wine and water are cold, there is no need to further dilute your spritzer.
You can use any white wine, but I would tend to go for one of the aromatic varieties such as sauvignon blanc, riesling, grüner veltliner, albariño or muscat. Dry wines with good acidity work best, accentuating the freshness of your spritzer. If you want a rosé spritzer, I would bypass the more expensive wines and go for a light dry Provence style or a pinot noir from the Loire or Alsace. If you want something with a little sweetness, try a rosé d’Anjou or White Zinfandel.
Red spritzers can be very good. Avoid big dry tannic wines and go instead for a light Beaujolais, Valpolicella, Bardolino, inexpensive pinot noir from Chile, the south of France or New Zealand.
Some like to add herbs, white lemonade, a slice of lemon or a dash of bitters to their spritzer. You could decorate with a citrus wheel or herb garnish. However, I prefer the simple wine and water recipe. If you want to try something different, the Spanish love a rebujito, made by mixing fino or manzanilla sherry with white lemonade of some sort. In the Douro valley, they enjoy a port tonic, a blend of dry white port, tonic water with a mint garnish.
