Sunshine Sangria: Our Cocktail of the Month for the Last Days of Summer

For those cloudless sunny days of late summer in Indiana. The kind that make you want to stop and soak every ray as you watch life buzz around the flowers. That's the kind of day we had in mind when we built this month's wine cocktail..

Meet Sunshine Sangria: a white sangria built on Millions of Peaches, our wine of the month for wine club members, brightened with orange juice, a splash of club soda, and whatever fresh or frozen fruit is looking good that week. It's easy, it's low-fuss, and it tastes exactly like the last warm evening of the season should.

The Recipe

This one's simple on purpose so you can get it poured and get outside to enjoy every last second.

Sunshine Sangria

• 1 Bottle of Millions of Peaches (our wine of the month)

• 7.5 oz alcohol-free tequila or brandy (or the real thing, if you're making this at home)

• 2.5 oz orange juice

• 7.5 oz can of club soda or lemon-lime soda for sweetness

• Fresh or frozen fruit, for garnish

  
  

Build it over ice or frozen fruit, give it a gentle stir, and top with whatever fruit is calling your name - apple slices, citrus, berries - they all work beautifully. If you're building this with an alcohol-free spirit, it's a great option or if you're at home you can add in Brandy for a little extra punch.

Why Millions of Peaches Was the Obvious Starting Point

We didn't set out to make a peach-forward sangria and then go looking for a peach wine — it happened the other way around. Millions of Peaches has been the wine everyone's been reaching for this month, and the moment we tasted it next to orange juice and a little citrus, the sangria basically built itself.

If Sunshine Sangria becomes your new favorite way to spend a Saturday afternoon, Millions of Peaches is worth getting to know on its own, too — no club soda, no orange juice, just poured cold into a glass. And if you find yourself wanting a bottle (or several) waiting for you every month, that's exactly what our wine club is for. Members get first access to wines like this one before they're gone, plus the kind of small-batch releases that don't always make it to a wide release.

🤓 NERD ALERT! ⚠️

Ever wonder why sangria is called sangria in the first place? The name comes from the Spanish word sangre, meaning "blood", a nod to the deep red color of the traditional red-wine version. White sangria, like ours, is a newer variation on an old idea, but the concept behind it goes back much further than most people realize.

Wine mixed with fruit, spices, or water has roots stretching back to ancient Rome, where wine was routinely diluted and flavored partly for taste, partly because watered-down wine was simply safer and more practical to drink than straight, often-rough vintages of the era. Spain and Portugal are widely credited with developing sangria into something closer to what we'd recognize today, likely sometime around the 18th century, blending regional wine with local citrus and seasonal fruit.

Sangria's modern popularity in the U.S. got a notable boost at the 1964 World's Fair in New York, where Spain's pavilion served it to American visitors, many of whom had never tried it before. It's stuck around ever since, endlessly adaptable to whatever wine, fruit, and season you've got on hand. Which, honestly, is exactly the spirit we made this one in.

A Few Notes If You're Making This at Home

• Fruit matters. Fresh, ripe fruit is ideal. Crisp fruits like apples, pears or peaches can be fun as a little refreshing snack as you sip. Frozen fruit also works wonderful and doubles as an ice cube that won't water down your glass as it melts.

• Alcohol-free doesn't mean flavor-free. A quality NA tequila, brandy, or whiskey holds up well here; the orange juice and club soda round out the profile either way.

• Soda & Sweetness. Club soda adds a little bitterness that brings the sweetness of the fruit in balance. If you're sensitive to bitterness or just looking for a sweet treat you can substitute your favorite clear soda or ginger ale.

  
  

Visit Us

Sunshine Sangria is on the menu now through the end of September. Stop by The Rejoicing Vine tasting room, just west of Indianapolis, to try it in person, and while you're here, ask about the wine club, it's the easiest way to make sure Millions of Peaches (and whatever we're pouring next) doesn't run out on you.

FAQ

What is Sunshine Sangria made with? Sunshine Sangria is a white sangria made with Millions of Peaches wine, alcohol-free tequila, orange juice, club soda, and fresh fruit.

Can I make Sunshine Sangria with liquor? Yes! The recipe as written uses an alcohol-free tequila, making it a great lower-alcohol option for guests. At home, you can substitute with brandy if you'd like something higher proof.

Where can I get Millions of Peaches wine? Millions of Peaches is available at The Rejoicing Vine, an Indiana winery in northwest Indianapolis, and is featured as this month's wine club selection.

Where can I get sangria near Indianapolis? The Rejoicing Vine, an Indiana winery just west of Indianapolis, serves Sunshine Sangria as its cocktail of the month, made with locally produced wine.