Easy Wine Spritzer

By
Stacy Slinkard
Stacy Slinkard
Freelance writer and wine expert, author of ""Idiots Guides: Wine""; as well as several magazine and online articles.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 08/27/21
Tested by
Sean Michael Johnson
Photo of Sean Michael Johnson
Tested by Sean Michael Johnson
Sean is an award-winning bartender with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He is the head bartender at the two-Michelin-star restaurant, Gabriel Kreuther, crafting cocktail menus that have caught international attention. To date, he has made over 1 million cocktails, and counting.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Serving: 1 serving

Wine spritzers are lovely little wine-based drinks that feature a splash of sweet soda and taste summery fresh. They are easy to make, and endlessly adaptable.

Wine spritzers were undoubtedly the inspiration for the wine coolers of the late 1980s and early '90s. While not a novel concept, they are enjoyed in many wine-producing regions under different names. In Germany, for example, this cocktail is dubbed süssgespritzter, referring to wine or cider mixed with lemonade or a citrus-inspired soda. On the canals of Venice, Italians enjoy a spritz Veneziano (or, simply, spreetz), a refreshing combination of sparkling wine, Aperol (an Italian orange liqueur), and soda water. The French 75, created in France around World War I, mixes Champagne with gin, simple syrup, and lemon juice.

A wine spritzer is perfect when you have a bottle of white, red, or rosé wine on hand, and the temperature outside is balmy. The ice and soda turn what could potentially be too heavy a drink for summer into a refreshing cocktail that is not only cooling but also lower in alcohol strength. Adding some fresh seasonal fruit to your glass makes it even more refreshing.

 

Wine spritzers garnished with orange slices

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

"If you have a nice inexpensive, dry, tannic white wine, having this recipe on the rocks is not a bad way to spend a summer night." —Sean Johnson

Basic Wine Spritzer Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces ice

  • 3 ounces wine, white, red, or rosé

  • 3 ounces soda (citrus flavors are great)

  • Seasonal fruit, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients

    Ingredients for wine spritzer

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Fill an 8-ounce tumbler halfway with ice.

    An 8-ounce tumbler filled halfway with ice

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Add the wine and soda.

    Wine and soda added to the ice in the glass

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Toss in slices of your favorite fruit, if desired.

    Slices of oranges added to the wine spritzer

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Stir and enjoy.

    Wine spritzer in a glass with orange and a spoon

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Tips

  • Choose a wine that you enjoy drinking on its own, during cocktail hour or with dinner. Unpleasant wine won't be improved by mixing it with water or soda. Anything you like to drink can work.
  • If you're selecting a bottle for the purpose of making a spritzer, reach for something that has a good fruity flavor, and mild tannins, such as a sauvignon blanc, riesling, and pinot noir.

Variations

If you find yourself with a few bottles of wine but are looking for more interesting ways to serve and drink them, there are many refreshing recipes that combine wine with other ingredients to make party-worthy cocktails.

  • Sangria, of course, is a classic wine-based cocktail that can take on a variety of flavors. A strawberry-lime sangria is ideal for summer, with a blend of rosé, lemon-lime soda, fresh strawberries, and mint. And a citrus sangria brings together grapefruit, orange, lemon, and lime for a refreshing cocktail on a warm day.
  • There are also some lesser-known wine-based mixed drinks worth trying. The bishop cocktail is a mixture of red wine, rum, simple syrup, and lime juice, whereas the pink elephant combines raspberry puree, chocolate liqueur, and merlot.

How Strong Is The Easy Wine Spritzer?

This easy wine spritzer is a mild mixed drink. The only alcohol in it is wine, which tends to range from 8 to 14 percent alcohol by volume (ABV).


For example, when a 10 percent ABV is watered down with soda and ice, the finished drink will have an alcohol content around 3 percent ABV. It's one of the least alcoholic drinks you can mix up.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
111 Calories
0g Fat
12g Carbs
0g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 111
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 12mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 12mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 67mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags: