Doesn’t it seem like this has been the summer of the spritz? It’s a trend that has been gathering steam for a while and this year it feels like everywhere we look we see spritz, spritz, spritz.
Time for a Hydration Break?
And it really shouldn’t come as a surprise because the spritz boom can be linked to a couple of relevant factors.
Trend #1: Climate change. Summer weather is getting more and more extreme, especially in Europe but here in the U.S., too. We all need to follow the example of the World Cup soccer teams and take hydration breaks more often. But Napa Cab is probably not what you are looking for when the temperature tops 90 degrees.
Trend #2: We like to think of wine as food, best enjoyed at the table, and I still believe that’s true. But, as Eric Asimov has pointed out, the tradition of wine with dinner is rapidly fading away. Wine is now often just a drink, something you have a glass of. And when the heat dome is upon you, you’d probably like that drink to be tall, cool, and refreshing. What you want is a spritz.
Welcome to Aperol World
The most famous such refreshment is, of course, the Aperol Spritz, the bitter-sweet concoction with the unlikely name. Heavily promoted by the Campari company (along with Campari Spritz), the bright orange, instantly recognizable beverage is all over Europe and now featured prominently on drinks menus in the United States, too.
Aperol combines the signature liqueur with sparkling wine, a dash of club soda, and a bit of citrus, all over ice in a large glass. You can think of it as a competitor to wine, and it is to a certain degree, but it is also a wine drink and the Aperol Spritz boom has done no harm to sparkling wine producers.
Spritz Wars Heat Up
The Financial Times reports that the competition among different types of spritz drinks is heating up. This summer, for the first time, U.K. sales of Aperol Spritz have been eclipsed by the Hugo Spritz, which features an elderflower liqueur. Spritz wars. What next?
Aperol is taking this competition to the next level by creating a draft version of the Aperol Spritz. We saw this in a couple of spots in Sicily earlier this year. The spritz is pre-mixed and dispensed like a beer or soda from a 20-litre canister. Easy to make, easy to drink. Now you can enjoy a spritz at the soccer stadium. What could be better?
Spritz can be good and even good for sparkling wine producers, but what about the makers of still wine? Are they left out of the trend? Not necessarily. You can find popular spritz beverages in Europe that let still wines join the party. Here are a few for your consideration.
In Porto, the summer drink of choice is the White Port Spritz, with White Port and tonic water over ice with mint or citrus. It is refreshing and a bit addictive. The drink comes as a surprise to people who have never tried a White Port. Taylor’s makes a canned Chip Dry & Tonic version that goes down easily.
The drink to try in Jerez is Rebujito, which combines Fino Sherry and Sprite over ice with lemon or mint. Gonzalez Byass makes a ready-to-drink version called a Croft Twist that is perfect for your personal hydration needs.
If You Can’t Beat Them …
Clearly that is a lot you can do with white wines when it comes to the spritz, but what about red wine? Some people are shocked when they see ice in a glass of red wine although it is a summer tradition in some regions. What would they say about a red wine spritz?
The thing to say is Kalimotxo (also spelled calimocho). It is a Basque Country beverage that combines equal parts of red wine and Coke over ice. It doesn’t have to be your best red wine, if you know what I mean. I am sure there is a scientific explanation for why this works, but I think it is best to simply enjoy.
Or you could try another Spanish spritz called Tinto de Verano (red wine of summer), which is basically red wine and lemonade or lemon-lime soda (Sprite again) over ice. A friend from Seville told us that in Spain tourists drink Sangria while locals enjoy Tinto de Verano.
Resistance is Futile?
Is everyone a spritz-lover now? A recent New York Times article finds little resistance within the hospitality sector, but it does note this:
Italians have more cause to complain. Global spritz mania means that tourists demand the drinks even in formerly spritzless regions like Sicily, which is a bit like expecting a Creole restaurant in the French Quarter to make you a Rochester garbage plate. In Venice, where the spritz was invented and long seen as a working-class drink, it has been repositioned as a glamorous society accouterment. This historical revisionism irks some locals
I don’t think the wine industry can successfully fight the spritz trend, so I suggest joining up. Don’t think of a spritz as just a substitute for wine. Embrace the opportunity to make it another occasion to enjoy wine. That’s what a local brew pub is doing. They mainly sell their own beer, but they offer a limited selection of wine in single-serve cans, including festive wine spritz drinks from Ramona.
And remember that a spritz needn’t be complicated to work its magic. Ice, wine, something sparkling, maybe some fruit to garnish. The retail market report in the August 2026 issue of Wine Business Monthly speculates that the spritz boom is driving sales growth in at least one market segment. Inexpensive sparkling wine is not a large category (less than one percent by volume and value), but it grew by 40 percent in the most recent year, partly due to “continued affinity for “European Summer” and spritz-inspired cocktails.”
It’s the season of the spritz. Bottoms up!