My wife and I were sitting on a
shady terrace overlooking the Guadalquivir River in Seville. It was August. It was hot. We didn’t even know what the temperature
was. Afraid to ask.
We were nibbling on olives and thin
slices of Bellota jamon. We had finished a couple of copitas of chilled fino Sherry
but it hadn’t managed to chill us.
A waiter passed our table carrying
a large pitcher of sangria and several glasses on a tray. The pitcher was frosty and so were the
glasses, taken from the freezer only
moments before.
Ann turned slightly in her chair to
follow the progress of the sangria toward a table of young women who greeted
the waiter and the sangria with welcoming smiles.
“Why didn’t we think of that,” Ann
asked?
What, I ventured, would happen if
two wine nerds were spotted drinking sangria?
She gave me that look.
I signaled the waiter and ordered a
pitcher of sangria.
Might have saved our marriage.
*
So come on, people. Loosen up. It’s summer. It’s hot. And I have some
virtual sangria for you.
Besa del Sol Sangria from Spain has
just arrived in the US market in red, white and pink versions and it is delicious
and cooling, The wine base is made from a single estate in the Valdepeñas wine DO.
The red and pink versions are made from Tempranillo, the white sangria from
Airén, the most widely grown white wine grape in Spain.
The wines are refreshing on the
palate with a welcoming edge of acidity and a touch of citrus leading to a just
off-dry and slightly spicy finish. Serve it over ice or straight up from the
fridge. It comes in a 3 liter bag in box, a 1.5 liter glass bottle and 500ML
TetraPak. It is fairly low alcohol, at
only 8.5%.
Just try it. Nobody’s looking. Besides even wine nerds can chill out when
the weather is so hot.
Another round, please.
And make mine pink.
