Fall Sangria

A Fall Sangria recipe infused with apples, pears, and cinnamon sticks in a Malbec wine base with just the right amount of Brandy! An easy red sangria recipe that is low in sugar.

I am a year-round sangria kind of girl but, truth be told though, I almost never order sangria out in restaurants though.

Reason: the sheer amount of sugar.

When I was in college, I was a bartender (this is how I learned to make killer drinks btw) and was responsible for bringing weekly sangria happy hours to life. It was here that I saw just how DANG much white sugar is poured in restaurant sangria recipes.

You know what you guys – I am here to tell you that sangria does not have to be sickeningly sweet to be absolutely fabulous. My Fall sangria is infused with apples, pears, citrus, cinnamon sticks and brandy and ONLY has 1/4 cup of coconut palm sugar.

After years and years of making sangria recipes, I have found that low-sugar sangria recipes are actually better because the subtle sweetness helps balance out the acid, fruit, wine, and liquor instead of completely overwhelming it.

I am HERE FOR THIS. Sangria that won’t leave you with a splitting headache.

P.S. I’ve got you covered for your Winter White Sangria and Summer Sangria for the rest of year. Told you – year-round 😉

Let’s start with basics in case you aren’t familiar.

what exactly is sangria?

(Spanish: sangría [saŋˈɡɾi.a])

Traditional Sangria is an alcoholic punch from Spain. The base is usually red wine and the Sangria punch has chopped fruit (can vary), some type of sweetener, either orange juice or brandy and is often served with club soda or some other clear soda added to it.

how to make sangria

• Start by cutting or slicing up the fruit.
• Make a simple syrup with your sweetener.
• Combine cut fruit, simple syrup, brandy and wine in a large pitcher or container.
• Refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. Remove citrus, serve over ice topped off with club soda and fresh fruit garnish.

This Fall sangria is perfect for Thanksgiving and can easily be doubled or tripled depending on the size of your party. It’s easy and, feels festive and tastes like a special holiday drink.

Tips for making fall sangria

• To save time: use a mandoline to cut your fruit.
• Kirschwasser is a fancy name for Cherry Brandy.  It is also sometimes just called “Kirsch”.  I used Clear Creek Distillery’s Kirschwasser. It is one of the best I know of and a bit expensive, hence why I only purchased what I needed for the recipe.
• If you don’t usually buy organic fruit, I would recommend you get organic if you can for this since the wine soaks in the fruit overnight.  If you can’t, just be sure to scrub your fruit really good OR soak it in baking soda/water mixture for 20 minutes before rinsing and cutting up.
• Malbec is a type of red wine that is great for Sangria.  If you can’t find it, get a fruity red wine.

Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!

Fall Sangria Recipe

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 15 mins

 

A Fall Sangria recipe infused with apples, pears and cinnamon sticks in a Malbec wine base with just the right amount of Brandy! An easy red sangria recipe that is low in sugar.

Course: Cocktail, Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fall sangria, harvest sangria, how to make sangria, low sugar sangria recipe, thanksgiving sangria

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 76 kcal

Author: Alyssa Brantley

5 from 12 votes

Print

Ingredients

• 2 750 ml bottles Malbec wine
• 1/2 cup Cherry Brandy Kirchwasser if you can find it
• 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar can substitute brown sugar or raw sugar
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2 medium pears washed and cut into thin slices
• 2 medium apples washed and cut into thin slices
• 2 small clementines washed and cut into thin slices
• 1/2 medium lemon washed and cut into thin slices
• 1/2 medium lime washed and cut into thin slices
• 2 medium cinnamon sticks
• 1 bottle club soda for serving
• fresh cut fruit for serving

Instructions

1. Gather ingredients and a large pitcher that can be covered or a food storage container.

2. Thinly slice lime, lemon, and clementines into rounds or half-moons. Toss into container with cinnamon sticks.

3. Slice apples in half and use a paring knife to carve out core and seeds.

   Repeat with pears.

   Proceed to slice apples and pears into thin half-moon slices and toss into container.

4. Mix sugar with boiling water until dissolved and pour over fruit mixture.

   Pour in Kirschwasser (Cherry Brandy) and then wine.

   Close container or cover pitcher with saran wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

   When ready to serve, remove cinnamon sticks, pour over ice cubes, garnish with fresh-cut fruit, and top off with a splash of club soda. Cheers and Enjoy!

NOTES:

• Kirschwasser is a fancy name for Cherry Brandy.  It is also sometimes just called "Kirsch".  I used Clear Creek Distillery's Kirschwasser. It is one of the best I know of and a bit expensive, hence why I only purchased what I needed for the recipe.
• If you really want to save time, use a mandoline to cut your fruit.
• If you don't usually buy organic fruit, I would recommend you get organic if you can for this since the wine soaks in the fruit overnight.  If you can't, just be sure to scrub your fruit really good OR soak it in baking soda / water mixture for 20 minutes before rinsing and cutting up.
• Malbec is a type of red wine that is great for Sangria.  If you can't find it, get a fruity red wine.

Nutrition Facts

Fall Sangria Recipe

Amount Per Serving (3.5 ounces plus fruit and club soda over ice)

Calories 76 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 16mg1%

Potassium 95mg3%

Carbohydrates 14g5%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 24IU0%

Vitamin C 12mg15%

Calcium 18mg2%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.

UPDATE NOTES: This Fall Sangria recipe was originally published in November 2011 and was updated in November 2019 with edited photos, answers to commonly asked questions and detailed in-process photos.