Reál Sangria – White Sangria Drink

OK, so here’s a review that’s a little different than most that we do here, due to the fact that this is really a “wine drink” rather than just a wine.  In other words, flavors were added— citrus flavors, to be exact.  Given that fact, I’m not going to give it a score, because my scoring methods require measures like “varietal correctness” and I have no way to gauge that.  Instead, I’ll just give you the scoop on my thoughts about sangria and about this Reál Sangria.

First of all, I love sangria.  Red sangria is actually the first wine drink I remember tasting when I was just 13 years old on a visit to Spain.  But I like both red sangria and white sangria.  I’ve made them both numerous times.  When I make sangria, I just use some inexpensive Spanish wine (usually grenache), fresh fruit, some brandy, triple sec, sugar and Sprite or just a club soda.  Here’s my sangria recipe, for the red version anyway.  So, I’m accustomed to mixing my own sangria rather than using a pre-made version, but I was curious how Reál Sangria would compare.

Reál Sangria White is labeled as being made with Spanish white wine and natural citrus flavors.  I’m not really sure what that means.  I would expect it to have natural citrus juices, but that’s not what it says.  The label also states that the alcohol level is 7 – 10%, which struck me as odd as I would expect a consistent production process to yield a consistent alcohol level.  I inquired with the PR rep about that, but didn’t get a reply.  It retails for $6.99 – $8.99 (depending on region) for a 750 ml bottle.

The aromas smell much more orange-like than wine-like, and it’s kind of an artificial orange too.  It reminds me a bit of Sunkist soda.  On the palate, it’s very sweet — which is to be expected from a wine in the 7 – 10% abv range.  And I don’t have a problem with sweet wines as long as that sweetness is well balanced with acidity.  But this drink is somewhat off-balance to me with a sugary sweetness that overpowers any other flavors.  The aftertaste is that of sugar-coated orange slices — you know, the candy ones.

It’s best served on ice, and/or used as a mixer (i.e. add a bunch of fresh fruit or fruit juice to it).  On its own, this isn’t really my cup of tea, due to the fact that I can’t really taste anything wine-like in it.  I prefer my sangria to have more wine flavors along with fresh citrus and other fruits.

Given that this didn’t strike my fancy, I asked my wife, Robyn, to give it a shot.  She loves sangria — even more than I do — although we both generally prefer red versus white.  Her review: “It’s pretty good on ice, with a salty snack… if you’re desperate.”  She then finished the bottle.

I guess she was desperate.

Disclosure: This product was received as a sample.