13 Best Wine Cocktails

RosÃ© 75 in glasses. Photo:
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

With the power to pack fruity, yeasty, spicy, or floral notes in each pour, it's easy to see why wine is one of our favorite ingredients to use when making cocktails.

Whether we're reaching for Champagne, Cava, or Prosecco to add a splash of fizz and festivity to celebratory drinks like the French 75 and Kir, reaching for an accessible red wine to make a batch of Sangria, or making a quick highball with that bottle of Port that's been hanging out in the back of our cabinet forever, wine cocktails are crowd-pleasing, easy to scale, and refreshing.

Read on to learn how to incorporate wine into your next cocktail.

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Red Sangria

Glasses of sangria on a tray — Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell

It's almost impossible to talk about wine cocktails without mentioning the classic red wine sangria.

This flexible, crowd-pleasing classic is easy to make with Grenache, which often boasts ripe red cherry flavors, or inexpensive Tempranillos, which can add spicier notes to your pitcher. Whether you're opting for stemware, rocks glasses, or water glasses, there's no wrong way to serve sangria.

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Hugo Spritz

Invented in 2005 by Roland Gruber, a bartender in the Northern Italian town of Naturno, the Hugo Spritz has become especially popular in recent summers.

With a surprisingly dry finish, this elderflower spritz benefits from a healthy mint sprig garnish, which makes every sip feel cool and light.

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Rosé French 75

RosÃ© 75 in glasses.
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Fans of the classic French 75 will wonder why they haven't been using sparkling rosé to take the fizzy, celebratory drink to the next level.

A combination of rosé syrup and rosé wine makes this delicate cocktail especially floral, while lemon juice adds a necessary hit of acidity to keep things from getting cloying.

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Bellini

According to the Cipriani restaurant group, Guiseppi Cipriani invented this cocktail at Harry's Bar in Venice back in 1948.

The classic, sweet combination of peach purée, frozen peaches, and inexpensive bubbly makes this cocktail easy to sip during brunch.

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Negroni Sbagliato

After enjoying a recent resurgence in fame due to a viral interview bite from HBO's House of Dragons star Emma D'Arcy, the Negroni Sbagliato has once again become a mainstay.

This spirit-forward cocktail calls for the classic ingredients you'll find in a Negroni, but gets a fizzy finish thanks to a splash of bubbly.

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French 75

Legend has it the French 75 was first called the Soixante-Quinze, after a French-made rifle that was used during World War I.

This festive cocktail is one of our favorite ways to celebrate a special occasion. While the traditional recipe calls for Champagne, you'll find us making a French 75 with Cava or even sparkling Chenin Blanc.

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Rosé Piscine

RosÃ© a la Piscine in glass — Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

French for "swimming pool" as well as "wine elongated with ice" the Piscine couldn't be easier to make — simply add a little ice to your favorite glass of rosé.

This "no recipe recipe" from Rebekah Peppler's Le Sud is one of our favorite ways to cool down when the weather warms up.

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Soft Arms

If you think Riesling doesn't belong in a cocktail, meet the Soft Arms, a pleasant, low-ABV drink.

Fino sherry adds salinity to this herbaceous, unexpected wine cocktail, while yuzu vinegar brings a welcome kick of acidity.

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White Port and Tonic

Lime juice and mint add a crisp edge to this breezy highball.

A base of fortified wine made from white grapes sourced from Portugal's Duoro Valley makes this two-ingredient wine cocktail taste far more complex than it is to make.

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Frozen Hula Hoop

This sweet yet tart blend of pineapple, raspberry, and lemon adds fresh fruit flavor to a must-make slushy frozen drink from Erick Castro.

Spiked with white rum, Aperol, and dry red wine, this drink is stronger than it looks. We highly recommend making your own raspberry syrup by infusing simple syrup with fresh berries from the farmer's market.

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Stop the Hourglass

Juicy, ripe peaches belong with cool, refreshing mint tea.

The star of this drink is Amontillado sherry, which boasts notes of vanilla and toasted hazelnuts. The sherry adds a sweet, pleasant complexity to this frozen cocktail, while fresh peaches and mint tea ice cubes tame the heat from the ginger element.

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