I have a deep and profound love for the white wine spritzer. Mock me all you want, the white wine spritzer is everything I want in an event cocktail: bubbles, hidden hydration, crisp acidity, a sustainable mellow buzz. Above all, the white wine spritzer is an ideal template; a wine spritzer works with whatever you have on hand and can be dressed up or enjoyed in its own perfect simplicity.
Did I once cause an entire outdoor summer wedding to opt for off menu white wine spritzers, leading the bartender (once he realized I was to blame) to lament loudly that I caused him to run out of seltzer?
It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me and I regret nothing. It was 95 degrees out and I was keeping the party hydrated but also dancing, you’re welcome.
Now grab your ice filled goblet and join me on the lanai with the rest of the Golden Girls…
A Snippet of Spritz History
The word spritz comes to us from the German word spritzen, meaning “to spray.” Legend has it, the Austro-Hungarian soldiers stationed in Italy during the nineteenth century found the wine too strong for their beer based sensibilties, so they diluted their wine with a splash of water and the precursor to the spritz was born!
Force carbonation was discovered in 1767 by Joseph Priestly, soda siphons and bottled carbonated beverages rapidly followed in the decades after, and the wine spritzer rose to popularity like bubbles in a glass.
The rise of bubbly water also led to other styles of spritz, especially in Italy where wine based aperitivos paired so nicely with fizzy water and prosecco. Spain and Austria also dabbled in that spritz life and by the mid 1900’s here in the USA the wine spritzer was all the rage with your mom and all her girlfriends.
Ready For That Spritz Life?
Order our April SipScout anytime in the month of March 2024, while it’s here! We’ll be tasting through undiscovered white and rosé wines from AZ that would be fab in a white wine spritzer!
Spritz Me Baby, One More Time
The white wine spritzer always elicits a reaction when ordered. From Ned’s dramatic order in The Simpsons to the undertones in Miss Congeniality, the media loves to hate on my fave wine cocktail. But what, exactly are they mocking when they poke fun at a spritz?
On the surface, the white wine spritzer is deceptively simple: chilled white wine, chilled bubbly water, cheers! Notice I said chilled for both, cold seltzer is how you preserve those bubbles y’all! Build over ice or not, dealer’s choice.
The spritzer template is wide open for creativity and pairings, wine flavors and textures vary as radically as carbonated water! Oh you thought bubbly water was…plain? Think again. Mineral content and bubble structure vary with those bottles, they are anything but boring. As for white wine, you could choose a crisp, acidic Sauv Blanc or roll with a lush and buttery Cali Chard, even go Rosè all day, or <gasp> make it with vermouth or sherry!
Your wine spritzer can be as wine-forward or as light and low abv as your tastebuds desire–there is no wrong way to spritz!
But, Jena, don’t you usually lecture on the ratios and science of cocktail building?
Perhaps I love the white wine spritzer because you can change the ratios to your whims. If you really want to measure for a basic build, twice the seltzer to the amount of wine will do the trick.
Now let me live.
Too Sacred To Spritz?
Does the mere mention of mixing wine with well, anything, cause you to blanche as you swirl your preferred vintage in its appropriatly shaped wine glass? Relax, Frasier, we aren’t coming for your 1992 Pouilly-Fuissé. I’m not suggesting you raid your wine cellar to make your spritzes (although if you do, get down with your bad self), you don’t need to drop a ton on a bottle or only spritz with bottles from the bodega, a nice middle of the road pricetag is A-ok. Would you drink it on its own? If the answer is no, back away and select another vino.
See, in as much as the media loves to eschew the white wine spritzer, it also adores creating the image that wine and those that enjoy it are high-falutin, large vocabulary wielding, well, nerds. Could we use Ann Noble’s Wine Aroma Wheel and debate the nuances and the finish of each varietal til we are blue in the face? Sure. But we could also just drink the stuff.
Sherry, Niles?
Let Me Upgrade You
Ever feel like you’re not just in the mood for a basic spritz? How about an upgrade, babe?!
Easy Wine Spritzer Upgrades
- Citrus: lemon or lime wheels, grapefruit slices or orange zest for brightness!
- Herbs: mint, basil, rosemary, or thyme as garnish for aroma!
- Berries: raspberries or blackberries, muddle or don’t!
- Liqueurs: a 1/4 oz of elderflower, limoncello, cassis, ginger, the list is endless!
- Bitters: a few dashes of citrus or fruit focused bitters for pizzaz!
The most important thing about living your spritz life is to not take everything so, well, seriously. The white wine spritzer is a sunny and delightful concoction, it should not be stressful to create or enjoy!
Safety note: never shake anything with bubbles, it will end badly for you. Build your wine spritzer in the glass and give it a gentle stir before you sip or take my pro tip and put the bubbles on the bottom before you pour the wine. Garnish as desired and sip with abandon! Chardonnay, take me away!
Jena is an event host & contributing writer for The Crafty Cask, as well as an award-winning bartender, cocktail educator, Cicerone Certified Beer Server, and Executive American Whiskey Steward. Based in NYC, Jena has been working in the craft alcohol world for the last 15 years with recipes appearing in Manhattan restaurant/bars & multiple publications. She is the 2019 Nikka Perfect Serve Global Runner Up and a 2020 Cognac Connection winner.
