How to Make a Reduction Sauce from Any Wine
A wine reduction sauce is an ideal way to add amazing flavor to a meal and indulge your inner epicurean. The best part? They’re super easy to create. A reduction is the result of boiling down a liquid until it reduces to a sauce-like consistency. To simplify, you’re merely evaporating water from the wine, adding a few additional basic ingredients to intensify flavor, and you’re done! Whether you’re a self-taught home chef, or you regularly entertain with gourmet meals, executing the perfect wine reduction sauce is sure to impress your dinner guests. Explore our easy-to-follow instructions, helpful tips, and other useful information about how to make a wine reduction sauce.
Cooking Instructions:
• First, choose your favorite type of red or white wine. There’s no limit to the type of wine you choose as the base for your sauce, whether it’s a crisp sauvignon blanc or a full-bodied cabernet.
• Begin sautéing an onion, a few cloves of garlic, celery, and a few medium-sized carrots in two cups of chicken stock until the vegetables becomes soft.
• Strain the veggies from your mixture, and add the liquid to the wine you’ve selected.
• Let the mixture simmer until it thickens to the consistency you want. Typically, you’ll want the sauce to be thick enough to coat a spoon, without being too heavy.
• For additional flavor for your red wine reduction, add rosemary, thyme, oregano, and bay leaves. To enhance a white wine reduction, include basil, chives, or parsley to your mixture.
Tips for the Perfect Wine Reduction Sauce:
Take your reduction sauce to the next level by incorporating these easy tips.
• When trying to decide how much wine and/or chicken stock to incorporate into your sauce, keep in mind that you will be reducing whatever liquid you are using in half.
• Looking for a thicker sauce? Simply continue cooking down your sauce until it reaches your desired consistency and thickness.
• You can make reduction sauces from all sorts of liquids, not just wine. One idea is to use balsamic vinegar as your base for a great, syrupy drizzle for fish and chicken dishes.
How to Use a Reduction Sauce:
Reduction sauces can be paired with a variety of meats for a tasty dinner entrée. Consider pairing a red wine reduction with beef or pork, and hearty vegetables. This type of sauce is great for cozy comfort food and delicious wintery meals. In contrast, your white wine reduction sauce will complement chicken, seafood, and more delicately flavored vegetarian meals. White wine sauces are lighter and lend themselves to springtime cooking with fresh vegetables and herbs. Drizzle
your reduction sauce as a topping to grilled meats and vegetables, use it to dip a fresh baguette into, or cool it off and incorporate it into a salad dressing.
If you’re looking to add some serious flavor to your next dinner, a wine reduction sauce is a fantastic option to consider. Follow the cooking instructions above, then have fun exploring recipe options for great meals to pair with your new sauce! Make dinner fun again by incorporating your favorite white or red wine into your next dish. Your meal will be one that you and your guests won’t forget anytime soon!
