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    Home » Recipes » Butter Sauces

    Red Wine Jus

    Published: Mar 11, 2023 Modified: Mar 11, 2023 by Isabel Laessig

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    My Red Wine Jus recipe is a must-have staple for your kitchen! It's flavorful, rich, and a perfect pairing for a pan-seared or grilled steak. My red wine reduction sauce uses drippings from steak as the base, complemented with fresh ingredients and herbs for an intensely satisfying sauce.

    And, it only takes under 10 minutes to make!

    red wine sauce in a pan with a spoon and parsley
    Jump to:
    • Red Wine Jus Recipe
    • Red Wine Sauce Ingredients
    • How to Make Red Wine Jus
    • Red Wine Sauces Recipe Tips
    • Choosing a Red Wine for Sauce for Steak
    • Red Wine Jus FAQs
    • What to Serve with Red Wine Sauce
    • Easy Sauce Recipes
    • 📌 Pin it for later!
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

    Red Wine Jus Recipe

    This red wine reduction sauce is the result of wanting a beautiful sauce to pair with a tender, juicy steak! All those delicious brown bits are scraped up from the bottom of the pan, and the drippings are just what you need to make the base of a beautiful reduction sauce.

    Making the perfect reduction is just as it sounds: the ingredients reduce as all the flavors intensify. The result is a perfectly silky and concentrated sauce, excellent for serving with steak and beef dishes, but also with lamb, pork, and even roasted vegetables (especially a grilled Portobello mushroom!).

    red wine sauce ingredients on a table

    Red Wine Sauce Ingredients

    • drippings from steak or butter if you have no drippings
    • minced garlic or garlic paste
    • minced shallots or red onions
    • red wine of your choice or equal amounts beef stock if not using wine
    • balsamic vinegar
    • fresh thyme plus more for garnish
    • beef stock
    • roughly chopped parsley leaves
    •  butter

    How to Make Red Wine Jus

    1. Add steak drippings from a freshly cooked steak to a pan over medium heat. If you do not have steak drippings, melt butter in a cast-iron skillet. Then add garlic and shallots and saute, stirring 1 minute until softened.
      garlic and shallots cooking in a pan
    2. Add red wine, beef stock, balsamic vinegar, and fresh thyme sprigs. Bring liquid to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat.
      red wine added to sauce in pan
    3. Allow the wine mixture to reduce until thickened, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
      thickened red wine sauce in pan
    4. Remove the thyme from the sauce and turn the heat to low. Whisk in butter.
      adding butter to wine sauce
    5. Add parsley and season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve, and enjoy!
      complete red wine sauce

    Red Wine Sauces Recipe Tips

    • Drinking wine rather than cooking wine works best for red wine reduction sauce. Trust me, you will taste the difference in flavor!
    • If you are making this recipe and you do not have steak drippings, you can substitute 1 Tablespoon butter to melt in the pan before adding the garlic and shallots.
    • When making a pan sauce, always monitor your heat. If the sauce breaks, it is likely because the smoking point of the fat was too high when the wine was added.
    • If you notice the sauce starting to break, immediately remove from heat and begin to whisk vigorously.
    red wine sauce in a bowl next to sliced steak and potatoes on a plate

    Choosing a Red Wine for Sauce for Steak

    Depending on the type of wine you select, different notes are added to the sauce. I prefer to use full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. These wines have rich and fruity notes of cherry, plum, and currants which work nicely with steak.

    Some dry red wines also add spicy notes, like pepper, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, anise, ginger, or cardamom. These wines typically come from Syrah, Grenache, Petite Syrah, Malbec, or Zinfandel grapes.

    For the lightest version of this sauce, you can use a Pinot Noir, Chianti, or French Cotes du Rhone. These wines are typically lighter and have earthy notes, like oak or smoke because the skins of the grape are thinner.

    Whatever flavors sound best to you are what you should use for your red wine reduction sauce!

    Red Wine Jus FAQs

    Is there alcohol in red wine reduction sauce?

    Simmering wine will remove some of the alcohol content, but not all. Generally, after 15 minutes of cooking time, only 40% of the alcohol is retained. If you need to omit the red wine, you could simply add ½ cup more beef stock and allow it to reduce. Alternatively, if you can find non-alcoholic red wine, you can use it for this recipe.

    What does adding red wine do for a sauce?

    Red wine gives the sauce added richness and robust flavor. It is best to add red wine to a sauce after the vegetables have softened (in this case, garlic and shallots).

    What does it mean to reduce a wine sauce?

    Reduction is the process of thickening and intensifying the flavor of a liquid mixture by simmering or boiling. It is best to reduce a sauce by not using a lid, as this will allow the vapors to escape the pan. The longer the red wine is left on the heat, the more it will reduce.

    Is red wine reduction gluten-free?

    This sauce is thickened by reducing it, not by adding a thickening agent. Wine does not contain gluten, so as long as you are using a gluten-free beef stock, this is a gluten-free sauce recipe.

    How long does red wine reduction last?

    This red wine pan sauce can be stored in an airtight container and left in the fridge for up to 4 days or 6 months in the freezer. To reheat, it is best to use low heat over the stove and slowly bring it back to temperature.

    Can I freeze red wine reduction sauce?

    Red wine reduction sauce can be stored in a freezer bag or airtight container to add to the freezer. Here's a useful tip: pour red wine reduction sauce into plastic ice cube trays, then freeze. Transfer frozen cubes into freezer bags. Red wine sauce can be frozen for up to 12 months.

    What to Serve with Red Wine Sauce

    • Reverse-Sear Ribeye Steak
    • Air Fryer Prime Rib
    • Sous Vide Pork Chops
    • Grilled Lamb Chops

    If I am individually plating a meal, I think a little pool of red wine sauce on a plate with a juicy steak on top is as Instagram-worthy as it gets! This sauce also looks great in a gravy boat, so each person can add as much sauce as they like. Try pairing my red wine reduction sauce with some of these fabulous recipes!

    Easy Sauce Recipes

    • Easy Hollandaise Sauce
    • Au Jus Recipe
    • Asian Marinade
    • Lemon Aioli Recipe
    • Chimichurri Sauce

    Check out my all-time favorite sauce recipes here: Easy Sauce Recipes

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    📖 Recipe

    red wine sauce in a pan with a spoon and parsley

    Best Red Wine Jus

    Isabel Laessig
    Learn how to make red wine sauce by following my Best Red Wine Sauce recipe! This red wine reduction is easy and flavorful.
    4.81 from 21 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Course Sauce
    Cuisine American
    Servings 2 cups
    Calories 357 kcal

    Equipment

    • Sauce pan

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 Tablespoons drippings from steak or 1 Tablespoon butter if you have no drippings
    • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic or garlic paste
    • ¼ cup minced shallots or red onions
    • 1 cup red wine of your choice or equal amounts beef stock if not using wine
    • 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    • 2 sprigs fresh thyme plus more for garnish
    • 1 cup beef stock
    • 4 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley leaves
    • 3 Tablespoons butter

    Instructions
     

    • Add steak drippings from a freshly cooked steak to a pan over medium heat. If you do not have steak drippings, melt butter in a cast iron skillet. Then add garlic and shallots and saute, stirring 1 minute until softened.
      2 Tablespoons drippings from steak, ¼ cup minced shallots, 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
      garlic and shallots cooking in a pan
    • Add red wine, beef stock, balsamic vinegar, and fresh thyme sprigs. Bring liquid to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat.
      1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 cup beef stock, 1 cup red wine of your choice
      red wine added to sauce in pan
    • Allow the wine mixture to reduce until thickened, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
      thickened red wine sauce in pan
    • Remove the thyme from the sauce and turn the heat to low. Whisk in butter.
      3 Tablespoons butter
      adding butter to wine sauce
    • Add parsley and season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve, and enjoy!
      4 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley leaves
      complete red wine sauce

    Notes

    • A drinking wine rather than a cooking wine works best for red wine reduction sauce. Trust me, you will taste the difference in flavor!
    • If you are making this recipe and you do not have steak drippings, you can substitute 1 Tablespoon butter to melt in the pan before adding the garlic and shallots.
    • When making a pan sauce, always monitor your heat. If the sauce breaks, it is likely because the smoking point of the fat was too high when the wine was added.
    • If you notice the sauce starting to break, immediately remove from heat and begin to whisk vigorously.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cupCalories: 357kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 4gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 453mgPotassium: 555mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1425IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword red wine jus, red wine jus recipe, red wine sauce, red wine sauce for steak
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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    About Isabel Laessig

    Isabel Laessig, better known as Family Foodie and the founder of the Sunday Supper Movement, is passionate about food and family! She is the author of the Boujee Steak Cookbook, and hosts Family Foodie Friday on WTSP's Great Day Tampa Bay along with other television appearances to spread her mission of bringing Sunday Supper back around the family table in every home.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shannin says

      March 09, 2023 at 1:51 am

      5 stars
      This sauce is AMAZING! It’s quick and easy. I just wish I would have tripled the recipe- I’ll be making it again very soon!

      Reply
      • em says

        March 14, 2023 at 3:07 pm

        We're so glad you enjoyed it! This is so awesome to hear!

        Reply

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