How To Make A Red Wine Reduction Sauce
If you own a stove, you should know how to make a few sauces. Sauces can make a dish fancier or cover up any mistakes. Best of all, some of the best sauces arent all that hard to make, no matter how fancy they sound. Take, for example, a red wine reduction sauce.
A red wine reduction sauce is made with wine, butter, onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and herbs. All it takes is a quick sauté of everything but the wine, then half a cup of the good stuff poured on top and heated. Heat it down to as thick as you desire, then serve it over whatever dish you want to make delicious. Easy, right? Plus you have the rest of a wine bottle to enjoy.
But how does reduction actually work, and how do these delicious flavors come around?
drop!
At its simplest, a reduction is defined as the act of making something smaller in size, amount, number, etc. Water leaves the mixture, making it thicker and more concentrated. Yet at the molecular level, its a lot more complicated than that.
Alcohol has a lower boiling point than water , and theres both a water component and an alcohol component in wine. The oxygen and hydrogen atoms in ethyl alcohol are attracted to the oxygen and hydrogen atoms in water. Hydrogen bonds are formed between the two, the Cooking Science Guy explains, which makes whats called an azeotrope mixture, or a mixture of two liquids that has a constant boiling point and composition throughout distillation.
Why Are We Doing This Twice
MLF. ML. Malo. Secondary fermentation. Whatever you call it, please know that its not alcoholic fermentation. Malolactic Fermentation is incredibly common in red wines. Indeed, there are some winemakers who would dare you to try and stop it. Lactic Acid Bacteria take malic acid and convert it to lactic acid .
How Red Wine Is Made: Follow Along Step By Step
Red winemaking differs in one important way: the juice ferments with grape skins to dye it red.
Of course, theres more to red winemaking than the color. Learning about the process reveals secrets about quality and taste that will So, lets walk through each of the steps of how red wine is made from grapes to glass.
Winemaking Pictures:
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Things To Keep In Mind While Making Wine:
- The most important step is to clean, sterilize and dry all vessels and bottles used for making and storing wine. Wash them in boiling water and dry them properly with no traces of water behind.
- Although ceramic or stone crock jar is ideal for making wine, you can use a glass jar also.
- Cool the water after boiling and then use it for making wine.
- Stirring should be done with a sterilized steel spatula or a wooden spatula.
- Mash the grapes coarsely while stirring.
Learn The 5 Steps Of The Wine Making Process
Wine making has been around for thousands of years. In its basic form, wine production is a natural process that requires very little human intervention. Mother Nature provides everything that is needed to make wine it is up to humans to embellish, improve, or totally obliterate what nature has provided, to which anyone with extensive wine tasting experience can attest.
There are five basic stages or steps to making wine: harvesting, crushing and pressing, fermentation, clarification, and then aging and bottling. Undoubtedly, one can find endless deviations and variations along the way. In fact, it is the variants and little deviations at any point in the process that make life interesting. They also make each wine unique and ultimately contribute to the greatness or ignominy of any particular wine. The steps for making white wine and red wine are basically the same, with one exception. The making of rosé wines and fortified or sparkling wines is also another matter both require additional human intervention to succeed. Learn more about wine and what goes into every bottle by reading our wine glossary index.
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What Goes Up Must Come Down: Drinking And Storing Homemade Wine
After a few weeks, the yeast will eventually die off and thus stop producing carbon dioxide, causing the balloon to deflate. At that point, you’re almost done! Just take the bottle to your kitchen and decide whether you would prefer to either:
What Do We Need
- Red Wine Any good quality full bodied wine will work, such as Malbec, Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon
- Stock Beef stock is used in this recipe, but any good quality stock works well
- Thyme We use Thyme in this Jus, but you can try Rosemary too
- Plain Flour Used to thicken the sauce, but instead you can make a corn flour slurry, adding a tablespoon of water and mixing, then adding slowly at the end of the recipe to thicken to your liking
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What’s Next Wait For The Homemade Wine To Ferment
Take your bottle of soon-to-be wine, and store it in a cool dark place . After a couple of hours, check and see if your balloon has inflated. If it hasn’t, you might try gently sloshing the mixture or just continue waiting. If your balloon does look inflated then you’re well on your way to a marvelous batch of wine. Just keep it stored in a cool dark place. Over the next couple of weeks, the wine will bubble, and biochemical reactions will take place.
The wine after a few weeks
How To Make Red Wine Vinegar
How to make homemade Red Wine Vinegar is so easy and its so much more flavorful than anything you can buy at the store. Turn leftover wine into a delicious vinegar thats perfect for salads, side dishes, and recipes that need an extra splash of flavor!
Ive got several different kinds of vinegar in my pantry and I use most of them quite often. Theres the workhorse, Apple Cider Vinegar, and coming in a close second is Red Wine Vinegar. Both have so many uses which means Im constantly restocking my supply.
I recently discovered I could make my own red wine vinegar from leftover wine. That may seem a crazy thing to say leftover wine like that really happens, but actually, it does. With some good red wine and a little patience, you can have a delicious, flavorful vinegar in about a couple of weeks.
Homemade Red Wine Vinegar had deep flavors that are more complex than anything you can buy at the store. You will love the beautiful extra something that it adds to your recipes.
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How Is Red Wine Made
Red wine can vary greatly in colour, flavour, body and character depending on the grape variety used, the climate it is grown in, winemaking techniques, ageing and the general preferences of the producer. Unlike white wine, red also contains tannins due to its prolonged contact with the tannic grape skins during winemaking, and this can also vary between different grapes and wine styles. Here is a run through of exactly how red wine is made, providing an insight into the foundation techniques used in vineyards today.
Transfer To The Final Bottle
Once a good 6 months have passed, check on your country wine.
When there arent bubbles moving through the airlock or at the top of the wine, you can siphon the clear wine into the glass bottles, just in time for your anniversary or date night.
Hot Tip: Store the bottle longer for a richer taste that is if youre willing to wait.
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Recipe: 8 Simple Steps To A Delicious Red Wine Jus
Always wondered how to make a red wine jus thats as tasty as the one from your favourite steak restaurant? The wait is over.
Weve developed the perfect red wine jus recipe thatll youll want to make every time you get the slightest craving for steak. Its easy to make, super tasty and the perfect accompaniment to a juicy steak as well as any beef roast cuts with a side of mashed potato, of course, to mop up every last morsel of flavour on the plate.
- 2 cloves of garlic or 2 eschalots
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 750 ml beef stock
- 1 tsp salt *to taste
How To Make Homemade Red Wine Vinegar
There are two ways to make homemade red wine vinegar.
Small Batches
This is my favorite method for making homemade vinegar. Use a half or 3/4 full bottle of red wine. Place the wine in a large mouth jar or bottle, cover the top with cheesecloth and secure it with a rubber band. Leave it in a warm place, I put it at the back of my counter for 2 weeks. Thats it. The natural oxidation process will turn the wine into vinegar for you! Taste it then store it in a cruet or jar with a lid.
Constant Supple
This method only requires one extra step. Youll need a mother supply of raw vinegar or Braggs ACV with mother, and a bottle of red wine to get things going. You dont need expensive wine, just something that you like to drink. Add 1 cup of mother and the red wine to a large glass container. Cover and place out of direct sunlight. Over a 2 to 3 week period, youll see a skin form over the top of the mixture. The skin will eventually sink to the bottom and youll have vinegar. As you use the vinegar, you can add more wine to the supply youve been making.
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More Spritzes And Spritzers
If you like this red wine spritzer, here are a few more wine cocktails and spritzers to try:
- Rose Wine Spritzer Light, bubbly and refreshing in 1 minute.
- White Wine Spritzer Add bubbles to your favorite white wine to make the ideal summer drink.
- Vodka Spritzer Opt for vodka! Try this vibrant and refreshing vodka cranberry drink.
- Lillet Spritz Light and breezy, its the ideal summer drink!
- Aperol Spritz The classic Aperol spritz is worth the hype!
- Campari Spritz Bitter and bubbly: a refreshing mixed drink for sipping.
- Amaro Spritz This bubbly drink has notes of caramel and cola.
- St Germain Spritz This floral, refreshing drink is easy drinking: perfect for summer!
Or, try the same concept with beer! A Shandy is a beer cocktail that mixes beer with citrus soda or ginger ale. Try the refreshing Summer Shandy or Grapefruit Shandy.
How To Make A Red Wine Spritzer
A wine spritzer works with any type of wine: red, white or rose. If you think white and rosé lend more to being mixed with bubbles: youre right! The red wine spritzer is something totally unique: its got a bit of a sangria vibe since it takes the boldness of red wine and turns it into a refreshing summer drink. The most important thing to know about a red wine spritzer: its best with a ratio of 50/50 wine vs bubbles. Heres how to make it:
- Grab a bottle of red wine. Chill it if you can, but it works without chilling too.
- Pour about ½ cup into a glass.
- Pour in an equal amount of soda water .
- Stir gently and enjoy!
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How To Store And Bottle Homemade Wine The Right Way
Now that you know how to make wine at home, lets talk about how you should store it, a process just as important.
Great taste is all in storage, many wine experts and enthusiasts say. And theyre right. Theres a lot more to the ritual than filling your wine bottles and stashing them away at a dark corner.
Winemakers take great pride in storing their bottles in mint condition, and this process begins with your bottle.
How To Make Wine What Is Wine
The definition of wine is simple: an alcoholic beverage made with the fermented juice of grapes. Wine was originally made with grapes and the grape is the single best fruit to make wine with due to its characteristics. However, you can make wine with several types of fruits including apples, peaches, various berries, plums, and even tomatoes. Wine is different from beer in that wine is made from fruit and beer is made from grains.
Wine grapes are different than standard table grapes that are made for eating. Wine grapes are seeded and they are smaller and sweeter than their counterparts. Most wine grapes come from a single specious of grape called Vitis vinifera. This strain of grape has been cultivated and grafted with many other types of grapes to create a variety of grapes we use to make wine today.
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Different Approaches To Making Wine For The Beginner
There are a couple of different approaches that you can take as a beginner winemaker. One of the easiest methods is to purchase a winemaking kit. These kits can be purchased for about $50-150 dollars and generally produce 6 gallons of wine. Thats enough wine for 30 bottles. There are also one-gallon kits available that will make 5 bottles of wine but they are less popular. These kits include the concentrated juice, yeast, and all of the additives that you need to create your wine. They come with easy to follow instructions to ensure you produce high-quality wine every time. You can find more information about specific winemaking kits on our site here.
There is nothing wrong with taking the wine kit approach. In fact, I might recommend it for the first batch of wine you make. However, there is nothing quite as satisfying as creating your own wine from fresh fruits. There is much more involved in making wine from fresh grapes or fruit. First, you need to source the fruits. For wine grapes that is not as easy as it seems. There are places online where you can purchase wine grapes and/or juice frozen and have it shipped to your house. For other types of fruit, you can get them from a local farmers market or grocery store. You need a good quality winemaking yeast, that can be purchased from your favorite wine supply store. and youll need some equipment to get started.
A: Fermenting For White Wine
Start with at least 5.25 gallons of white grape juice to end up with five gallons of wine. Pour the juice into a carboy or other closeable container larger than the volume you will ferment, as the wine can foam or expand and ooze out the top.
White grape juice is actually green or golden at first, but it will turn a brown color after its pressed and as it starts to ferment. Dont worry, it will lighten to pale yellow or gold later. Use an airlock to keep oxygen out and allow the carbon dioxide produced by fermentation to escape.
Add wine yeast, according to the instructions on the packet. Keep the juice at a comfortable room temperature, as advised on the yeast instructions. It should begin to emit a light foam of carbon dioxide within a day or two, which signals the start of fermentation.
Remove the stopper once a day, or as needed, to stir the juice and the lees that will begin to settle to the bottom. If the fermentation speeds up and the wine foams out of your vessel, just mop it up and cool the container slightly.
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How To Make Wine Salt
I was walking down the street in our neighbourhood when a friend frantically motioned for me to enter her store . Even though the store was closed, she pulled me in.
You need to make this!
She then showed me a small jar of purple salt. I knew instantly that she was right. The idea wouldnt leave my head for a week until I finally made it.
Wine salt takes less than an hour and requires about 2 minutes of active work. And it looks awesome:
Wine salt is exactly as it sounds salt thats infused with concentrated wine. It is used as a seasoning and can be used anytime youd use salt. Im especially excited about using it for salad dressings, rubs and delicate dishes. It will add a touch of acidity, a tonne of flavor and all of the flavor benefits of salt.
While you can use any wine for this, I highly recommend using a decent one . The wine is reduced by 4,500%. The reduction only eliminates water so the remainder will be an extreme syrup that will magnify all that is good and everything that isnt about the wine. A little of this salt will go a long way I expect well be using this salt for more than a year so the cost is easy to rationalize.
The Art Of Winemaking: Final Word Of Advice
See? Making wine at home is simple. Its a careful ritual of adding, siphoning, and storing.
A parting advice that wed like to leave you with is to enjoy the process.
Winemaking is an art as much as it is a science. What would taste good for you might be different from others, so dont be afraid to mix things up.
The recipes are merely a guide. Wine is a matter of taste.
Go play around and have fun!
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