Wine Salt Recipe - VIDEO - Growing A Greener World® (2024)

What the Heck is Wine Salt?

Don’t feel bad if you have never heard of wine seasoning salt. Most people haven’t. But let me be the one to tell you that wine salt is packed with flavor and is incredibly easy to make!

It is basically a reduction of a good wine (red or white) that is mixed with kosher or sea salt and used as a seasoning on beef, pork, chicken, vegetables, stew, etc, etc…You get the picture. It tastes like a seasoned reduction sauce- having the same depth of flavor you get when you deglaze a pan. I like to take it a step further and add herbs and citrus zest so that it has even more punch. When the concentrated wine hits the juices of whatever meat or veggies you are seasoning, it turns into liquid deliciousness! Trust me, you will love it.

Wine Salt How-To Video:

Watch the quick video above showing you how it’s made…and yeah, I really do think the cook should get a glass of wine while making it. (Tee hee)

Feel free to embed or share the YouTube versionHow to Make Wine Salt.

A few tips:

  • Be sure to use a wine that you enjoy drinking. The finished wine salt is only as good as the wine you start with. If you don’t care for the wine, reducing it will only concentrate the flavors you do not like.
  • You can skip adding the herbs if you wish.
  • You can also change out the thyme and lemon zest I use here for whatever strikes your fancy. Rosemary with cabernet is particularly nice. I also like to combine sage with Merlot. Be experimental!
  • Your finished salt will last at least 6 months in the jar. After that, the flavors start to dissipate and it is time to make a new batch.

Ingredients:

  • 1 bottle of wine (or about 2 cups if you pour yourself a glass of wine first)
  • 1 cup kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. lemon zest
  • 1 tsp. freshly chopped thyme leaves

1) Pour wine into a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Start simmering until the entire contents are reduced down to just about 3 tablespoons. This takes about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. You will know when it is done because it will suddenly turn syrupy. (Which means it thickens a bit and coats the back of a metal spoon.) Don’t go past that stage or it will burn!

2) Add the salt and whatever spices you like to use. (Citrus zest and savory herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, or sage all work well).

Wine salt has a lovely color and fully developed flavor

3) Stir well and spread the mixture onto a cookie sheet.

4) There are several ways to dry out the salt before storing, but the most important part is that you dry it completely without burning it. Use one of the following methods:

  • Oven: Dry slowly in a very low oven for 1-2 hours (the lowest setting your oven will go). Keep the door ajar if possible and check every 20 minutes or so. The wine salt can easily burn – so watch closely!
  • Dehydrator: A dehydrator is actually the easier way to go and you do not have to worry about burning it if you do it that way. Depending upon your setting, it will take several hours or overnight to dry completely.
  • Counter: You can also just set the pan on the counter to dry, stirring it every few hours. This is the slowest method and takse a day or so to dry completely.

5) Take out the salt and let it cool completely before pouring it into a tightly sealed container. Use within 6 months for best flavor.

6) Use the wine salt as you would any seasoning salt. Sprinkle it over foods before or after cooking.

Try it on:

  • Steaks and roasts
  • Stew
  • Roasted veggies
  • Root vegetables
  • Any grilled meat
  • Any savory dish that can use a splash of wine for flavor

But remember, it is a salt with very concentrated wine flavors. A little goes a long way!

Wine Salt Recipe - VIDEO - Growing A Greener World® (5)

AboutTheresa Loe

Theresa Loe is an award-winning garden writer for television, print media and video. She is also one of the founding producers of Growing A Greener World, bringing her voice and expertise both on-camera and behind-camera from day one. She is passionate about taking the garden full circle (from seed, to pantry, to table) and shares how to capture seasonal, fresh-picked flavor.

Wine Salt Recipe - VIDEO - Growing A Greener World® (2024)

FAQs

What is wine salt? ›

Wine salt is exactly as it sounds – salt that's infused with wine. It is used as a seasoning and can be used anytime you'd use salt. It adds a touch of acidity, a tonne of flavor, and all of the flavor benefits of salt.

Does salt dissolve in wine? ›

Flexi Says: Salt (sodium chloride) can dissolve in alcohol but is less soluble in alcohol than in water. The solubility is lower because alcohol molecules have less polarity than water molecules, making it harder to break the ionic bonds in salt.

What can I use red wine salt for? ›

Add a rich and robust twist to your meals with help from red wine salt! This delicious seasoning is a perfect addition to dishes like short rib, lamb chops, roasted potatoes, and more.

Can you put salt in wine? ›

Do you know you can add salt to wine? It has been done for centuries. Most famously the Victorians created what we know today as Cooking Wine, that is salted wine.

What does wine salt taste like? ›

High-acid wines like Assyrtiko, Vermentino and Muscadet offer an impression of salinity, which suggests “the kind of piercing acidity that a spritz of lemon would have, and a hint of brine or salinity that a squeeze of lime and pinch of salt would give a dish,” says Nils Bernstein, contributing food editor at Wine ...

What is the double salt method in wine making? ›

Double-salt deacidification is a technique that involves the formation of insoluble double calcium salts between malic and tartaric acids. The advantage of this method is its ability to reduce tartaric acid, as well as malic acid.

How long does wine salt last? ›

Your finished salt will last at least 6 months in the jar. After that, the flavors start to dissipate and it is time to make a new batch.

Why do people put salt in wine? ›

“Wine already has the sweetness from the grape sugars, the acidity from the fruit, and its tannins' bitterness. So salinity is very welcome to balance the flavors.” (To experience this at home—without stomping grapes or taking a bucket to the beach—try adding a pinch of salt to red wine.)

How long do you leave salt on wine? ›

After you've blotted the stain to remove what you can, try dabbing it with a little cold water and then spread plenty of salt over the affected area. Let it sit for at least five minutes to absorb more of the wine. If you have a more stubborn stain, leave the salt on for several hours or overnight.

How do you chill wine salt quickly? ›

How to Chill Wine Fast:
  1. Put water and 1/2 lb of salt in a large bucket and mix thoroughly to ensure complete dilution of the salt.
  2. Add Ice to the salt water and mix until you have a thick slush.
  3. Completely submerge your bottle(s) of wine into salted ice water mixture.
Apr 27, 2021

What is the best salt for alcoholic drinks? ›

To Rim a Glass

Flaky sea salt, such as neutral Maldon or Himalayan pink salt, is the bartender go-to for rimming glasses.

What does adding salt to alcohol do? ›

A tiny pinch of salt can curb bitterness and bring out herbaceous, fragrant, punchy flavors in co*cktails. One doesn't have to travel great distances or seek out obscure drinking establishments to find people taking pleasure in the combination of salt and alcohol.

What not to do with wine? ›

Here are the wine guidelines I personally abide by:
  1. Do grab and hold your wine glass by the stem, not the bowl. The design of a wine glass exists for a reason. ...
  2. Don't overfill your glass. ...
  3. Don't swirl your glass like a little hurricane! ...
  4. Do trust your own senses. ...
  5. Don't put ice cubes in your wine.
Oct 29, 2015

Why add lemon juice to wine? ›

Let's see what happens with the lemon and the red wine. It becomes fruitier, juicier and a whole lot smoother: it really diminishes those tannins. Now for the white, the lemon makes the wine taste even sweeter than before.

Can you put black pepper in wine? ›

Drop several peppercorns or a tsp of grounded black pepper in a glass of red wine; let macerate for a couple of hours. Filter, and you will smell the black pepper aroma. You may taste it too, however, remember to distinguish the aroma from the pungent/burning sensation in the mouth.

Why do you add salt to wine? ›

“Wine already has the sweetness from the grape sugars, the acidity from the fruit, and its tannins' bitterness. So salinity is very welcome to balance the flavors.” (To experience this at home—without stomping grapes or taking a bucket to the beach—try adding a pinch of salt to red wine.)

What is the salt at the bottom of wine? ›

Don't panic – those small crystals are called tartrates and they are simply a sign of how the wine was made and are harmless to you and your wine. Tartrates – or more lovingly, “wine diamonds” – are formed from tartaric acid which is naturally occurring in all wines and provides structure, balance and flavor.

Why is cooking wine salted? ›

Cooking wine also has added salt and a number of preservatives not in normal drinking options. The preservatives allow it to have a longer shelf life than other wines. The salt is added to enhance the flavor of the dish. This can be a double-edged sword as some people find the saltiness overwhelming.

What makes a wine salty? ›

From the vineyard. Vineyards are planted in different soils that have a range of natural components (known as soluble salts). These are spread out across the layers of soil and are subsequently absorbed by the roots of the vine. As such, the concentration of these salts is what causes saltiness in wine.

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