I am definitely a sangria gal in the summer–or whenever tapas is around–and while I am dying to make all of Stacie’s recos for great skinny sangria recipes, I’ve gotta admit, I’m lazy. Unless I’m entertaining a group of friends, I’m probably not going to take the time to cut up all that fruit and look for the right brandy blah blah. That said, I’m fairly skeptical about anything pre-made in a bottle. And yet Yellow Tail Sangria? I have to say, surprisingly tasty!

I was worried that it would either have that sickly, oversweet taste like a bad wine cooler from my college days (don’t tell anyone) but on first sip, I realized there’s none of that. It’s a clean, crisp citrus and red wine blend that’s not too sweet at all. In fact there are 148 calories in a glass, which isn’t much more than the 120 in regular red wine. (Of course there’s four times the amount of sugar, but hey, it’s fruit.)

While it’s certainly not like making your own, it’s nice to have around so you can just grab an easy glass with some cheese and salami (sometimes all I feel like having for dinner when it’s super hot out); or have it on hand to serve for dinner to make things a little more festive. You can even doctor it yourself–try adding some dry champagne or even club soda, and of course you can garnish with a little citrus fruit. Or just toss in some grapes if you’re lazy. The presentation will be nice if nothing else.

I might even try carbonating it directly with a Purefizz Soda Maker. I’ll let you know how that works out.

Either way, I think Yellow Tail Sangria is going to be a new staple in my fridge this summer. Honestly, I never would have thought it.

Try Yellow Tail Sangria at liquor stores everywhere because they have distribution up the whazoo these days. Thanks to Yellow Tail Wines for sending CMP a sample to try. Worth it.

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