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Come summertime at Mark Takagi’s house, you’ll find sangría. And lots of it.

“It’s the perfect, refreshing, unpretentious drink on a sunny afternoon,” says Takagi, a wine, beer and spirits specialist of 26 years for Metropolitan Market. “I drink pitchers of it all summer long.”

Traditional red sangría is more popular than the white version, he says, but the white nectar is gaining in popularity. That’s especially true now, at the height of peach season—celebrated at Metropolitan Market (metropolitan-market.com) with Peach-O-Rama, a month of in-store events, tastings and celebrations of all things peachy. With their natural sugar content, peaches pair perfectly with Takagi’s go-to white wine for sangría: Riesling.

“Washington Riesling is naturally high in acidity to balance out the sweetness of the added fruit and sugar,” he explains. “And it already has that juicy, peachy, stone-fruit flavor profile.”

Riesling also is made in a variety of styles, which means there’s something for everyone. Takagi doesn’t like sweet sangría, so he leans toward dry and off-dry Rieslings that contain less than 2 percent residual sugar. If you like it sweeter, look for a higher sugar content. Luckily, we make world-class Riesling in Washington state, with many great choices at reasonable prices.

White Sangría with Peaches
2  (750-milliliter) bottles
       Riesling (see below for
       suggestion)
   1  (750-milliliter) bottle seltzer
       water (lemon, lime or plain)
   1  cup Giffard crème de pêche
       liqueur
   2–3  fresh, perfectly ripe
       peaches, sliced
   1  cup fresh strawberries,
       halved
   1  cup fresh raspberries
   1  large lemon, thinly sliced

» Combine ingredients in a pitcher and refrigerate for 2 hours.
» Serve with ice in tumblers or wine glasses.

Recommended Riesling
Charles Smith 2014 Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Ancient Lakes, $13 (1.5 percent residual sugar): White peach, lime and apricot notes give way to a long mineral finish.

For a savory white sangría recipe with peaches, ginger and lime—and more recommended Rieslings for making sangría, go here.