My usual price point for Tinto de Verano and Sangria is $8-10/bottle. Costco has some rather nice Portuguese reds that work quite well - the bottle is good enough that I’d drink the wine on its own as a happy hour pour or something, but affordable and unprecious enough that I don’t mind mixing it. My current favorite for this purpose is Casa Santos Lima’s “Colossal Reserva” at about $8/bottle. Various affordable Washington red blends also fill the role nicely, like Chateau Ste Michelle. We used to use Charles and Charles Post No. 35 for this purpose when it was $6/bottle, but then it got popular and it’s much less of a good deal at its current $10+ price point (plus we feel the quality has slipped). It’s kind of a rotating door for whatever wine fills this gap for us on any given date; there’s a whole thread in DiningBuzz on decent cheap bottles with more ideas.

My take is that most people think sangria and the like are poor quality beverages because they’re always made with lousy wine. Splurge for something vaguely decent and it’s like a whole new drink...

Of course, in Europe 4€ table wine is used, but in Europe 4€ table wine is also perfectly drinkable - not so much the situation here in the States sadly.

Next time you’re in Madrid, I’d encourage you to give Tinto de Verano a chance. Sounds sketchy, but it’s surprisingly delicious made with the proper gaseosa (soda), and if you start watching around you there are a heck of a lot more Spaniards drinking it than sangria, despite the latter’s fame. It’s the perfect beverage for people watching from a cozy patio cafe in the Parque del Buen Retiro...

kalimotxo, maybe that’s a permanent pass though