Tinto de Verano (Summer Red Wine)
About this Recipe
By: Rachel
One of the first things I like to do in a new city is to book a food tour with a local guide. It is the perfect way to orient myself to a new place, to meet local restaurateurs and shop owners, and to learn about and taste local specialties.
The guides I have worked with have always been exceptionally generous and friendly, genuinely excited to share their favorite regional specialties with visitors. As an added bonus, I always wind up with a fantastic list of recommendations for restaurants, cafés, bars, and specialty shops to check out during my visit.
On our recent trip to Spain, we spent our first day in Màlaga with the most wonderful guide, Javi, of Spain Food Sherpas. One of our first lessons was that sangria is for tourists and teenagers, and that no self-respecting Spaniard would drink it. Instead, he explained, Spaniards drink tinto de verano.
We sidled up to a bar at Màlaga food market, and he ordered a couple of glasses. I watched in horror as our server filled two glasses with ice, poured in red wine, and topped the whole thing off with lemon Fanta and an orange slice.
“You want to use cheap red wine when you make this,” Javi counseled us, not inspiring my confidence in either him or the cocktail.
However, we were proved oh-so-wrong. Tinto is bright, refreshing, and citrusy—just the thing for hot summer days.
We enjoyed countless delicious glasses during our visit, and continue to serve this as our go-to drink all summer long.
Tinto de Verano (Summer Red Wine)
Ingredients
- Ice
- Lemon or orange slices, for garnish
- 1 bottle inexpensive, Spanish red wine (such as Protocolo Tinto)
- An equivalent amount of lemon soda*
- *Lemon Fanta is commonly used in Spain; it may or may not be available where you live. I prefer a strongly-flavored, tart sparkling lemonade, such as Whole Foods Lemon Italian Soda, or San Pellegrino Limonata.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
- Fill 4 serving glasses with ice and your choice of lemon or orange slices.
Step 2
- Fill each glass halfway with wine and halfway with lemon soda, and stir to combine.
