15 Red Wine Recipes That Are Simply Delicious (2024)

While we love a great glass of Bordeaux with a home-cooked meal, we also know that red wine is fantastic for more than drinking. If you find yourself with leftover wine, don't let it go to waste! Rich stews, amazing sauces, and even desserts can be enhanced with a bit of Pinot Noir, Burgundy, or whatever red wine you have on hand. To deglaze a pan, tenderize meat, or build flavor and depth into a dish, any standard red wine can do the trick. So pop open a bottle of your favorite style and get cooking with one (or more) of these delicious recipe ideas.

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Short Ribs with Mushrooms and Spring Vegetables

15 Red Wine Recipes That Are Simply Delicious (1)

To layer the flavors in this dish, chef Rory Herrmann marinates beef short ribs and vegetables in red wine overnight, then uses the marinade in the braise as well. Spring vegetables help lighten the rich stew.

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Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce

15 Red Wine Recipes That Are Simply Delicious (2)

For this beef stew, chef Jacques Pépin uses a special piece of the shoulder called the flatiron steak. This long, narrow piece is extremely lean, tender, and moist, and it makes an ideal stew. He does not use stock, demiglace, or even water. He makes his stew strictly with a robust red wine. This rich, winey beef stew is always a hit with his chef friends.

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Pan-Roasted Veal Chops with Cabernet Sauce

15 Red Wine Recipes That Are Simply Delicious (3)

To make the wine sauce in this elegant veal dish even more complex, use demiglace (concentrated veal stock) instead of beef stock and flour.

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Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Strawberry–Merlot Sauce

Chef Alex Hrabovsky leans on savory pork drippings and lush Merlot to balance the sweet-tart strawberries in this rich sauce for pork tenderloin. A gentle finish in the oven keeps the pan drippings from over-reducing.

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Poached Eggs with Red Wine Sauce

15 Red Wine Recipes That Are Simply Delicious (5)

Anne Willan, founder of the prestigious École de Cuisine la Varenne in France, expounded the virtues of cooking with wine and shared a recipe for classic oeufs pochés en meurette, a Burgundian preparation reminiscent of eggs benedict, with egg-topped buttered toast rounds.

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Red Wine BBQ Chicken

15 Red Wine Recipes That Are Simply Delicious (6)

Leftover red wine gets repurposed into a sweet, sticky, and luscious barbecue sauce in this easy chicken recipe from Food & Wine's Justin Chapple. All you need is a Pinot Noir on hand.

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Charred Vegetable Ragù

15 Red Wine Recipes That Are Simply Delicious (7)

Kelsey Youngman uses the broiler to infuse her hearty vegetarian ragù with smoky richness. Plenty of cremini mushrooms, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and dry red wine round out the sauce on the stove. This is a ragù you'll want again and again.

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Red Wine Venison Stew

15 Red Wine Recipes That Are Simply Delicious (8)

Made with venison, this stew is intensely flavored and has a silky, thick sauce that clings to the vegetables and meat as they slowly cook together. You'll need 1 1/2 cups of a full-bodied, rich red wine (such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah).

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Steak and Brassicas with Red Wine Sauce

15 Red Wine Recipes That Are Simply Delicious (9)

The brassicas here include baby cauliflower, cute 2- to 4-inch heads that come in vibrant colors like green, orange, and purple as well as the usual ivory, and pair wonderfully with the rich red wine sauce.

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Red Wine Chocolate Snack Cake

15 Red Wine Recipes That Are Simply Delicious (10)

Many of us cook with red wine, and F&W Culinary Director at Large Justin Chapple makes the case for baking with it as well. Cabernet Sauvignon adds fruity notes that brighten this dark chocolate cake, which is great for a midday snack or casual dessert.

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Steak Au Poivre with Red Wine Pan Sauce

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Red wine pan sauce is an amalgamation of fond (those browned bits left in the pan after searing meat), shallots, broth, good-quality red wine, and a few pats of butter to bind it all together and thicken it to a syrupy consistency. A perfect interplay of acid from the wine and sumptuous fat, the sauce is an ideal accompaniment to a peppercorn-crusted rib eye steak.

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Coq au Vin

15 Red Wine Recipes That Are Simply Delicious (12)

The traditional dish usually marinates overnight, but this lighter, quicker version is equally delicious.

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Short Rib Bourguignon

15 Red Wine Recipes That Are Simply Delicious (13)

The French created beef bourguignon to turn tough beef into a delicious dish. Aaron Barnett upgrades it with short ribs.

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Red-Wine Spaghetti with Walnuts and Parsley

15 Red Wine Recipes That Are Simply Delicious (14)

This recipe, adapted from New York City pastry chef Gina DePalma, is truly greater than the sum of its parts. Who knew that basic dried pasta, simply boiled in red wine, could develop such complex flavor?

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Lamb Loin Chops with Red Wine Pan Sauce with Cumin and Chiles

15 Red Wine Recipes That Are Simply Delicious (15)

Toasty cumin and piquant chiles, offset with fresh cilantro and lime zest, balance bold red wine in this quick pan sauce served with pan-seared lamb chops.

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15 Red Wine Recipes That Are Simply Delicious (2024)

FAQs

How to make the best red wine at home? ›

The Winemaking Process
  1. Step 1 — Cleaning. Cleaning. ...
  2. Step 2 – Preparing the Fruit. To begin, remove stems and unripe fruit. ...
  3. Step 3 – Determining Sugar Content. ...
  4. Step 4 – Sterilizing Fruit. ...
  5. Step 5 – Adding of Nutrients. ...
  6. Step 6 – Activating Wine Yeast. ...
  7. Step 7 – Extracting Color for Red Wine. ...
  8. Step 8 – Straining Fruit Pulp.

What makes a good cooking red wine? ›

When it comes to cooking, your safest bet is to choose a mid-priced, medium-bodied red wine with moderate tannins, like a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Pinot Noir. Using a red wine that is too big, full-bodied and tannic, like Shiraz, may turn 'chalky' and astringent while cooking and ruin the flavour of your dish.

What is a good red wine to cook with beef? ›

Best red wine for cooking beef - Merlot

Red wine and beef are a match made in heaven. While most medium-dry red wine varietals work well in beef dishes; a Merlot, with its medium tannins and moderate body is an excellent choice.

What is the most easy drinking red wine? ›

Varieties such as Merlot, Gamay, Pinot Noir and Grenache are typically low in tannin, and as such, are regarded as smooth.

How to make a tasty red wine? ›

7 Ways to Make Wine Taste Better
  1. Chill wine. As temperatures drop, flavors become muted. ...
  2. Adulterate it. That is, make a spritzer. ...
  3. If it's red, drink it with mushrooms. ...
  4. If it's sweet, drink it with something spicy. ...
  5. If it's oaky, drink it while you're grilling. ...
  6. Drop a penny in. ...
  7. Bake it into a chocolate cake.
Apr 4, 2023

How to make red wine DIY? ›

Making Red Wine
  1. Crush the grapes & add potassium metabisulphite (DAY 1 PACK 1) to the crushed grapes immediately. Dissolve it in a little grape juice then stir this into the crushed grapes during crushing.
  2. Add Pectic enzyme (DAY 1 PACK 2) to the crushed grapes. ...
  3. Cover the container & leave it for 24 hours.

What is the best dry red wine to cook with? ›

Best Red Wine To Cook With

In general, if your recipe calls for dry red wine, you can feel confident adding a Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Cabernet Sauvignon to your dish. A Zinfandel or Shiraz will work nicely for hearty dishes, such as ribs, lamb, or roast beef.

What red wine is good for spaghetti sauce? ›

The best red wines to use when cooking pasta sauce are Cabernets, Chianti, Merlot and Pinot Noir. Chianti is an Italian origin wine, created using Sangiovese grapes. It's affordable, and ranges in a wide variety of flavor notes like mushroom, tobacco, and cherry.

What is the best red wine for sauce? ›

Use merlot for a pan sauce or a reduction. This process involves heating the red wine with a few other seasoning ingredients in sauté pan on low heat until it simmers. This thickens the wine and makes those bold flavors much more concentrated. It produces a rich sauce when finished.

What is the best red wine for steak? ›

Wines with a heavier tannic profile, like Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec, are better suited to well marbled cuts such as ribeye and strip steak, while lighter tannins, such as those in Pinot Noir or Syrah, are a more desirable choice with leaner cuts like filet mignon or top sirloin.

How long does red wine last once opened? ›

Generally, an opened bottle of red wine can last for up to 5 days if stored properly in a cool and dark place with a wine stopper or cork in place to prevent excess oxygen from getting in. For white wine, it can last for up to 3 days under the same storage conditions.

What's the best wine for cooking? ›

Wines with high acidity levels like sauvignon blanc or chardonnay make excellent cooking companions. Don't use an old white wine. While most wines improve with a bit of age, this isn't always applicable to white wines.

What is the smoothest red wine to drink? ›

The red wines most commonly celebrated for being smooth and easy to drink include:
  • Syrah or Shiraz.
  • Cabernet Sauvignon.
  • Pinot Noir.
  • Malbec.
  • Merlot.
  • Lambrusco.
  • Beaujolais Nouveau.

What's the healthiest red wine? ›

Many wine experts consider pinot noir to be the healthiest red wine because it contains the highest concentration of resveratrol. Pinot noir also contains fewer calories than other red wine varieties and may be less likely to cause heartburn thanks to its relatively low tannin content.

What is the most classy red wine? ›

Syrah/Shiraz

Syrah, or shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety that gives rise to beautifully deep-hued red wines. One of its defining characteristics is a distinctive peppery finish, which adds a unique touch to its rich profile.

Can you make high quality wine at home? ›

Sure, you can carefully make a 5 gallon batch of wine at home with decent results, most of the time. But there are a lot of ways that your wine will be hobbled, from a quality standpoint, and may run into problems. The number one quality issue is that you will most likely not be able to get quality grapes.

What is the best mix for red wine? ›

Combine red wine, orange juice, lime juice, and your choice of fruit with some condensed milk or sweetened cream. You can add a splash of dark rum or brandy to give it an extra kick. Before serving, you could add club soda or sparkling wine to make the sangria more bubbly.

How long does homemade red wine last? ›

In general, properly stored homemade wine can last for several years, but it is best consumed within 1-2 years for optimal quality and flavor. To store homemade wine properly, it is important to follow these steps: Store the wine in a cool, dark place: Ideal temperatures for wine storage are between 45-65°F (7-18°C).

How long does it take to ferment red wine? ›

Most wines take 5–21 days to ferment sugar into alcohol. A cap of skins forms atop the must. This cap needs to be blended back into the juice at least once per day but often more during the fermentation process to keep it moist.

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