How yummy does that fall sangria look?  When this recipe came across my inbox I knew that I had to try this.  I am generally a white wine drinker and have always preferred my sangria to be tropical and fruity.  But with temperatures dropping I decided to challenge myself and see if I would like these new flavors in my wine.

The recipe is really easy and the ingredients are easily found in any supermarket.  And how cute is that Flirt label? My son’s kept coming in to the kitchen hollering, “That bottle has eyes!!  It can see us!”

The spice bundle is where it’s at.  This is how all those amazing fall flavors get in to your drink.  You can find cheese cloth at Target or your grocery store.  I always have some on hand for making quinoa or ghosts…its very versatile.  Let’s talk for a minute about how amazing a fresh vanilla bean smells.  And mixed with the cloves…I mean…

You will want to plan ahead a smidge to give the spices time to marry with the juice (from 4-24 hours).  Instead of finding a really large pitcher to transfer the juice in to, I poured a little juice out to make room for the spice pouch and the plums.  That really is the only option for a lazy person like me.  And don’t even get me started about pitcher sizes and how they go from small to OH MY GOSH HOW AM I GOING TO FIT THIS IN MY FRIDGE large with nothing in between…

I left the plums and spices in overnight.  I like maximum flavor output so I always leave things for the longest possible time.  Then I added the wine, heated it up a bit and then finally got to taste it.

Ah-mazing.  First off, the Flirt California red was super smooth and a touch sweet so it was perfectly paired with the juice and plums.  The vanilla and cloves really rounded out the drink with their subtle notes and made it feel very comforting.  I love the idea of serving this at a party.  It was really easy to make and smells delightful while heating.  Seriously, the perfect fall beverage.

Recipe:

Ingredients

2 tsp whole cloves

1/2 of a vanilla bean, split lengthwise

64 ounces apple-cranberry juice

4 medium purple and/or green plums, pitted and sliced

1 bottle red wine

Directions

Place cloves and vanilla bean in center of a double-thick 6-inch square of 100% cotton cheesecloth.  Bring corners of cloth together; tie closed with clean string.  Pour apple-cranberry juice into a large container or pitcher.  Add plums and spice bag.  Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours.  Remove and discard cheesecloth bag.  In a 4-quart Dutch oven, heat the juice mixture and wine until hot.  Serve in heatproof mugs.  Makes 10-12 servings.

But this recipe can also be served over ice.  And it was GOOD!  Simply follow the recipe above and instead of heating the wine and juice together, just serve over ice with plum slices.

I have not tried the above recipe with white wine yet, but I imagine it too will be quite tasty.  This Yellow Tail Moscato is slightly fizzy so it will add another fun element to the drink.  Have you ever had a fall sangria?  Are you a white or red wine fan?  I hope you will all try this and let me know your favorite!

Disclosure: On occasion, I receive products, compensation and/or services gratis or at discounted rates. This practice does not influence my point of view or the outcome of the review. All descriptions are factual and accurately reflect my experience. The opinions are my own.