Tinto de Verano

What is tinto de verano? Literally translated: summer red wine. It is red wine diluted with gaseosa, a lightly sweetened lemon soda with little fizz, in roughly equal parts and served over plenty of ice. That is all there is to it. Because the wine is diluted by half, the alcohol content in the glass comes out at around six to seven percent, comparable to a light beer. In Spain, people order it all year round, even though the name suggests otherwise, and it traditionally comes with a slice of lemon.

Gaseosa is hard to find in the Netherlands, which is why almost everyone here makes red wine with Sprite or 7UP. That works perfectly well, but keep in mind that gaseosa is less sweet and has a less pronounced lemon flavor. If you use Sprite, pour in a little less lemonade and a little more wine, for example twelve to eight centiliters; otherwise the sweetness will win out. Casera is the Spanish brand closest to the original and can sometimes be found at an Asian grocery store or a better liquor store. Sparkling water with a splash of sugar syrup is also a workable solution.

Red wine with cola is another drink with its own name: kalimotxo, from the Basque Country, half wine and half cola over ice. The cola brings caramel and much more sugar, making the drink darker and heavier than tinto de verano. Both originated as ways to make simple red wine more drinkable in summer, and neither requires an expensive bottle. Put the two side by side and you will notice that the citrus version stays fresher, while the cola version leans more toward soda. Which one you choose mainly depends on how sweet you want it.

For a group, this tinto de verano recipe works well in a pitcher, since nothing is muddled or shaken. Allow about a deciliter of wine and the same amount of lemonade per person. Mix the wine and lemon slices in advance and add the lemonade just before serving; otherwise it will have gone flat by the time the guests arrive. Keep the ice separately in a bucket and let everyone scoop their own; ice in the pitcher waters down the whole batch. A large pitcher is the most convenient; see our pitchers.

Choose a young, fruity red wine without much oak and without heavy tannins. In Spain, that is often a simple tempranillo or garnacha from a carton, and that is no joke: the lemonade and ice cover up every nuance anyway. A wine with substantial oak aging or lots of tannin becomes dry and astringent because of the sweetness. Chill the bottle in the refrigerator beforehand, since you pour it over ice. A bottle you would no longer drink neat is not a solution here either; musty remains musty.

They look similar, but the difference lies in the effort and strength. Sangria is made with red wine, pieces of fruit, and usually a splash of brandy or liqueur, and needs to steep for a few hours. Tinto de verano is wine with lemonade, ice, and a slice of lemon, and is ready within a minute. That also makes it lighter: with the extra liqueur, sangria quickly exceeds ten percent alcohol. The full Sangria recipe is on its own page.