Red wine reduction gives dishes a unique touch of colour and flavour, and is mainly used to accompany meat and risotto. Did you know that it can also contain spices and aromatic herbs? Let's see which ones.
The preparation may seem rather simple, but balancing the flavours is more difficult than you might think. Spices will add an extra note of flavour to your reduction, intensifying its aroma, but they should be added sparingly to avoid overpowering the taste of the wine.

It goes without saying that for a noteworthy result, the choice of wine is fundamental. Do not opt for cheap wine, which is generally used to deglaze food during cooking. You would risk ending up with a decidedly sour sauce. It is better to opt for a full-bodied red wine with low sulphite content.

Which spices should you add to a red wine reduction?

The most commonly used spices are bay leaves, juniper and black pepper, but some recipes also frequently include thyme, sage and cloves in the list of ingredients.

Preparation:

For your red wine reduction, in addition to the spices listed above, you will need:

500 ml red wine

250 ml vegetable stock

50 g butter

1 small onion (or shallot)

1 tablespoon sugar

20 g cornflour (or flour).

Clean and chop the onion (or shallot). Choose a non-stick pan and melt the butter over a low heat, add the onion and sauté (be careful not to brown it too much or, worse, burn it).
Add the wine and bring to the boil.
Boil over a high heat until it has reduced to 1/3 of its initial volume. At this point, add the vegetable stock, spice mix and sugar (for the quantities, we recommend using 1 bay leaf, 5-6 juniper berries and a pinch of ground black pepper).
Leave to simmer for at least 5 minutes, stirring regularly. At this point, add the cornflour and flour, taking care not to form lumps. You can use a sieve to add it gradually while stirring.
Your reduction should boil for another 5 minutes (check the density of the mixture).
Strain your flavoured red wine reduction and leave it to cool at room temperature.