The history of Sangria

Where does Sangria come from?

Wine, to the detriment of many purists, has always been mixed. In ancient Rome, it was very common to drink wine instead of water because alcohol killed the germs present in the polluted water of the time. Both children and adults drank wine daily, which was spiced to give it varied and pleasant flavors. This drink was called grog or hippocras. Although spiced wine was drunk in all countries, including Spain, during the Middle Ages it is true that the addition of cut fruit was first produced in Andalusia.

Sangria is made from red wine, chopped natural fruit (not too ripe and cut into large pieces), sugar (preferably diluted as a syrup) and a little liquor. Some people prefer not to add sugar because the fruit is already sweet enough.

There are many stories and legends about the origin of sangria, but one of the most reliable historical reconstructions states that it dates back to 1800 and was created by the peasants of Spain and Portugal, who prepared it with the products of the land available to them at the time: wine, apples, peaches and citrus fruits.

There is another version of the story, more creative and with a bit of smuggling, that dates back to the 1700s and was the idea of ​​a group of British sailors. At that time, it was forbidden to drink alcohol in the West Indies. So they masked Spanish rum with honey, spices, local fruits and wine to make it look like fruit juice, thus circumventing the ban.

In 2014, after two years of negotiations, the European Union approved the protection of the name "sangria/sangria" and its exclusivity for exports from Spain and Portugal.

Although other countries can continue to produce it, they cannot market it under this nomenclature. Instead, they must use the name “flavored wine-based drink”.