I was sitting on my deck this last weekend thinking I needed something really cold and alcoholic. As my mind wandered through my fridge I thought about margaritas and mai tais. No. I didnt want to go that high-test. Then I thought about enjoying an ice cold beer. No. I wanted something different. That is when I remembered an ice cold wine slush that Id had last summer. Mmmm!

There is a home-based business out there that produces a wine slush mix. All you do is pour your favorite red wine into a bucket, mix it up and put it in the freezer. A few hours later you pull it out and Zowie! You have a delicious wine slush to enjoy.

My problem was that I hadnt gotten in touch with anyone and ordered one of these slushie kits. Well, as somebody said, necessity is the mother of invention. I had a great level of necessity and needed an invention really bad, so I got on Google and looked a few things up.

One recipe that I found was quite simple and delicious. It takes a bottle of your favorite red wine. The recipe also calls for a cup of pomegranate juice and a pint of raspberries. I didnt have pomegranate juice or a pint of raspberries. What I did have was a bottle of Ocean Spray Cran-Blueberry juice and some frozen raspberries I found in the bottom of the freezer.

I took a cup of the juice and a bunch of the frozen berries and blended them in the blender. I decided that I wanted my slushie to have some sweetness to it so I put in a ½ cup of sugar just for fun. I poured my mixture into an old ice cream tub that I found, and mixed in my bottle of Syrah. I threw the bucket into the freezer and waited. About two hours later I opened up my bucket to find a wonderful slushie concoction. I spooned it out into my glass, sat on an Adirondack chair in my back yard and proceeded to slurp my slushie down. Yum!

After getting my wine slushie fix I decided to look for more recipes. It seems that sites on the Web have hundreds to choose from. I suggest that you just go online and find one that looks like it has the flavors that you prefer.

If you dont want a slushie, another summer favorite of mine is a good old-fashioned sangria. Sangria usually offers a mixture of wine, fruit and some form of liquor to balance the flavors. One of my favorites is to use a Pinot Gris or Riesling. I mince up a bunch of sweet strawberries and other fresh fruits, and add a little Contreau. Mix it all into a large pitcher and let it sit one or two nights in the refrigerator. On the third day you can enjoy your amazing creation.

If youre tired of those options there is always the opportunity to kick it old-school. Back in the day, before Mr. Bartles and Mr. James, we used to make our own wine coolers. I know! It sounds kind of crazy, but we used to mix a bottle of sweet white wine like a Chenin Blanc with lemon-lime soda. Add some fruit and turn up the AC/DC baby!

Enjoy!

Rich Breshears, the East Oregonians wine columnist, is a commercial photographer and marketing consultant for the wine industry in Oregon and Washington. He lives with his family in Kennewick, Wash. You can reach him by e-mail at photos999@charter.net