Sangria!

What do you do with a bottle of red wine that just didn't quite measure up to your expectations? You make Sangria, of course!

Actually, I do this as a matter of course because I'll go out of my way to buy a cheap, not so good bottle of red wine, knowing that it will end up in this heavenly concotion. The beauty of Sangria is that you can drink it by the pitcher and not feel the intoxicating effects of the wine as it is quite thinned out (at least in my version). That being said, I would be remiss in not mentioning that you shouldn't consume Sangria and operate motor vehicles or heavy machinery regardless of how much or little of the effect you feel.

Now Sangria is a wonderful way to just relax a lazy afternoon away and it is something I try to take advantage of whenever I can. There is a place in Northern Virginia called The Winery at La Grange (I can't help but think of the ZZ Top tune whever I hear that name) that makes just a wonderful Sangria. This winery is located in a beautiful country setting but is only a hop, skip and a jump away from DC proper. They cheerfully share their Sangria recipe and it is so wonderful that I've adopted it as my my go-to version of this crowd pleaser.

La Grange Famous Red Sangria (Author's note: I don't know exactly how famous or not so famous this recipe is. However, that is their title for it so I'll keep it there to faithfully reproduce what they give out. I'll let you decide if title is accurate or not)

1 bottle dry red wine (Author's note again: They suggest using the Claret from their winery. I've discovered that just about any bottle of something not sweet will work fine.)
1/2 cup mango juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup simple syrup (I'm getting rather annoyed with these Author's notes: Simple syrup is just that, simple to make. 2 parts sugar to 1 part water, boil for five minutes, let cool.)
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Mix the above and pour into ice filled glasses or a pitcher, pour about 3/4 full. Top with Ginger Ale (This author needs his head examined if he thinks I'm reading any more of his notes: I don't know why they say Ginger Ale in their recipe. Every time I've been to their winery they've used Sierra Mist. I'm thinking you could get away with any light flavored soda or even seltzer water if you wanted.) and fresh orange, lemon or lime slices.