300707 Tue Aug 16 21:37:10 -0700 2005 27 34 Wine 0 1672788 The poster below reminded me of the pervasive custom in South America to add club soda to a local raspy red wine to make it drinkable. (Actually, it makes a nice -and cheap- accompaniment to a hot summer's dinner) Just wondering why the custom didn't pick up in the US, like the corona+lime combination. Is it waiting for some big guy / celebrity / chowhounder to proclame it kosher? Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/300705#1672778 Tue Aug 16 21:37:10 -0700 2005 0 RicRios 1 1672790 what you're talking about it is a wine spritzer and people have been drinking those for years. mostly grumpy old ladys at wedding receptions. i think the reason why it hasn't caught on as a popular drink is because it's a bad way to ruin a perfectly good glass of wine. Tue Aug 16 22:26:33 -0700 2005 1672788 0 rebs 2 1672791 Actually I ask for club soda, ice and lemons when I've been served a bad glass of wine. Improves it immensely. Tue Aug 16 22:34:31 -0700 2005 1672790 0 Melanie Wong 3 2642652 ...and at Passover, it's the only way to get through the meal if the host is serving Manischewitz Concord Grape! Fri Jun 08 12:10:41 -0700 2007 1672791 52499 ChefJune 2 1672798 I was served a white wine spritzer when I was a callow youth and thought it was delicious. I'd like to try one again, now that I'm a grumpy old lady. Tue Aug 16 23:20:25 -0700 2005 1672790 0 Pat Hammond 3 1672817 >>I was served a white wine spritzer when I was a callow youth and thought it was delicious. I'd like to try one again, now that I'm a grumpy old lady.>> it's a great thing to do with less than stellar wine, especially if (say) you're at a wedding. You can drink all day with less of a buzz. Some people also put bad red wine on ice cubes. Wed Aug 17 10:46:14 -0700 2005 1672798 0 bibi rose 3 2641095 When I lived in Deutschland, at lunchtime spritzers were the way to go with moselwein when you didn't feel like having a bier. Thu Jun 07 23:23:17 -0700 2007 1672798 13619 Sharuf 1 1672795 I add tonic water to a cabernet or shiraz sometime. It adds a nice touch, I think. Tue Aug 16 23:05:03 -0700 2005 1672788 0 Connie 1 1672800 In Spain, kids used to be (and may still be) raised on wine mixed with gaseosa, a kind of light and less sweet 7-UP. It's pretty good, actually. Tue Aug 16 23:58:01 -0700 2005 1672788 0 Kirk 2 1672808 People here still drink this in the summer--it's called "tinto de verano," but it's kind of thought of as a "girly" drink. "Clara de limon" (beer and lemon soda) and sangria are probably more popular. Here in Madrid, the kids drink calimocho/kalimotxo--red wine and coke. Wed Aug 17 05:11:15 -0700 2005 1672800 0 butterfly 3 1672814 Jo, macho... God forbid that any hombre have a "girly drink"! :D Wed Aug 17 09:17:00 -0700 2005 1672808 0 Kirk 4 1672816 Ha, maybe I was projecting a bit...there's quite a gender revolution afoot here, so even the "mas machote" can drink a girly drink and still "cut the codfish" when need be. Wed Aug 17 10:33:45 -0700 2005 1672814 0 butterfly 1 1672806 In Germany, spritzers made with white wine and soda are a common and refreshing option. But I don't recall seeing them in this country. Wed Aug 17 02:34:43 -0700 2005 1672788 0 Sharuf 2 1672815 White wine spritzers were a HUGE suburban housewife drink in the late 70s, early 80s. You'll still find them enjoyed in some circles. My working class British friend drinks red wine with 7-up. I was a nervous wreck first time she came to my home as I collect wine and had opened several special bottles for guests. I was prepared to clench my teeth and smile as she poured 7 Up into my $100+ bottles of hard to find wines. (OK, truth be told I made sure I did not have clear sodas in the house! but she could have used coke, which I did have!) Wed Aug 17 09:49:19 -0700 2005 1672806 0 chowgal 1 1672820 I read an article (i think in Saveur) about a Califronia wine maker known for his great Cabs that had a big party for all of his pickers and field workers (from Mexico and Central/South America) and when he served them his big, expensive Cab, they all mixed it with Sprite. Wed Aug 17 11:19:09 -0700 2005 1672788 0 Tugboat 1 1672824 we drink this at thanksgiving with our turkey... it is a sparkling red wine. a little different... and quite tasty imho. http://www.schugwinery.com/html/sparkling_wine.jsp Wed Aug 17 12:40:29 -0700 2005 1672788 0 withalonge 1 1672832 Red wine spritzer is my drink of choice in the summertime. I don't think it "ruins" a nice glass of wine ... I add a splash of San Pellegrino to a glass of something good and it's just a lighter version of the something good. And yes, you can drink it all day and not fall down. Wed Aug 17 14:11:37 -0700 2005 1672788 0 yumyum 2 2642661 but Pellegrino has so much SALT in it, I'd think THAT would be worse for the wine than the sparkling water. Fri Jun 08 12:12:37 -0700 2007 1672832 52499 ChefJune 1 1672841 And then there's the very refreshing sweet vermouth and soda with a squeeze of lime... Wed Aug 17 15:28:30 -0700 2005 1672788 0 suzannapilaf 1 1672867 In Spain it's Coke and red wine...it's a bit like Sangria because of the sweetness. Wed Aug 17 22:29:07 -0700 2005 1672788 0 twodales 1 1672868 In Spain it's Coke and red wine...it's a bit like Sangria because of the sweetness. In Britain it's 7-Up (their lemonade)mixed with beer...it's called a Shandy. Wed Aug 17 22:30:34 -0700 2005 1672788 0 twodales 1 2641009 I had a similar drink in Italy, with red wine and Sprite. I can't remember if that's all that was in it or not. I wish I could remember the name, but it was really good - very light and refreshing on an August evening. Thu Jun 07 22:24:00 -0700 2007 1672788 103955 whitepinehokie 1 2641112 My soon-to-be mother-in-law does not drink and kinda looks down on those of us who do. Her big splurge on holidays is Manaschewitz and ginger ale. One glass only per person! Thu Jun 07 23:30:50 -0700 2007 1672788 76025 mojoeater 1 2642057 A friend who works for the 2nd largest wine distributor in China told me one of the most popular products in stores there is a bottle of red wine with a can of Coca Cola shrinkwrapped around it. Fri Jun 08 09:37:05 -0700 2007 1672788 11011 Eugene Park 1 2642542 Ric, you bring up a fascinating debate. Wine, beer, food or music for that matter seem to have two groups that butt heads. There are "Consumptionistas" and the "Non-Worshippers." The Consumptionistas will tell you exactly how your are supposed to eat, drink or enjoy any particular thing. They will have numerous references and many fancy words that support their singular point of view. They are annoying in that they consistantly come across as pompus and condescending. The Non-Worshippers don't care what you think and consume things the way they want regardless of trend or tradition. They would order a California Roll at Masa or Urasawa and proclaim that for that price, they chef should do whatever they want. They are annoying in their remarkable lack of context. The problem is that there is value in both approaches. Specifically on drink, civilazations with centuries of history in beer and wine often tend to approach these beverages with both tremendous tradition and also a feeling of nonchalance. For me, this is really and issue of calibration. Different setting require different approaches and different times bring with them different baggage. The popularity of the wine spritzer in the 70's and 80's brings with it an aroma of being so last week these days. Wine coolers and RTD's don't help this perception at all. Would I go to a wine bar that made a whole bunch of wine "cocktails?" I certainly would. But drinking wine is risky business for the vast majority of the population and no one wants to come accross as a rube. It is much easier to order a Bud and know that no one will look at you funny. Wine itself still needs a celebrity to endorse it before we can take the monumental leap towards doing crazy things like adding soda or coke. Fri Jun 08 11:47:28 -0700 2007 1672788 96313 ellaystingray 1 2644894 Maybe it's just my personal experience but I often see WHITE wine spritzers and know many people who drink them, but the only RED wine 'spritzer-like' drink I see is Sangria. My guess is that most red wines need more than just club soda or similar mixer to make them 'refreshing' drinks. Sat Jun 09 11:48:25 -0700 2007 1672788 11405 Midlife 2 2645892 Tho this is a 2005 topic someone picked up on ... I like white wine spritzers, but just don't like it for reds. For bad red wine I do like it over ice with half plain tap water. If I'm feeling 'creative' I'll add some orange juice to make to sangria-like ... or just some orange segments. Sat Jun 09 22:26:18 -0700 2007 2644894 10264 rworange 2 2646695 In Spain, it's much more common to see red wine mixed with "gaseosa" or lemon soda (tinto de verano--red wine of summer; also beer--a clarita). I can't recall ever seeing anyone drink white wine this way, though there are all sorts of things you can do with champagne/cava. It's really a summer thing (hence the "verano"). It gets really hot and dry here--also you do more hopping from place to place for hours on end and--depending on your tolerance level--might do this to pace yourself. At lunch, you get wine for free with the meal (if you do a menú). Sometimes it's fine and other times, it benefits from a little doctoring. Coke and wine (calimocho) is strictly for the kids. Sun Jun 10 11:17:21 -0700 2007 2644894 10661 butterfly