Sangria-making craving greatly satisfied by White Zinfandel Sangria

A couple of weeks ago I was seized with the notion that I must make some sangria.
   I’d never made sangria, a wine punch originating in Spain and Portugal, and I wondered to myself exactly why this was.
   Sangria, after all, can be found at many a backyard party in summer, and rightly so – it’s refreshing, sweet, sultry, enchanting and lovely to look at. It also makes great use of seasonal fruits and berries.
   I went in search of sangria recipes on epicurious.com and foodnetwork.com, my two most-trusted sources of great recipes on the Internet, and settled on White Zinfandel Sangria (click for the recipe). The recipe was originally published in Bon Appetit magazine 10 years ago.
   I wasn’t disappointed with the result – it was sweet, sultry and enchanting, just as I expected it would be.
   The recipe calls for white zinfandel, a type of blush wine that can easily be found in liquor stores. Many major wine labels will have a white zinfandel.
   The recipe says the sangria should be refrigerated for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. I refrigerated mine for several hours before serving, but did strain the fruit and cinnamon sticks out of the leftover sangria before refrigerating it to enjoy again the next day.
   White Zinfandel Sangria is very easy to make.
   A 750-ml bottle of chilled white zinfandel, peach schnapps (I used Dr. McGillicuddy’s, a brand which is apparently only available in Canada), Cointreau or other orange liqueur, sugar, two cinnamon sticks, one sliced lemon, one sliced orange, and one peach cut into wedges are combined in a tall pitcher.
   After refrigerating for at least 30 minutes, club soda is mixed in, and the sangria is served over ice.