This Blueberry Thyme Red Wine Reduction is a perfect sauce for pork, duck, lamb, chicken or any wild game (dove, venison, quail, pheasant, elk, etc.). It would also be great to add a little drizzle over a salad to brighten it up and give it some character. This sweet and savory sauce has layers of flavor that really make it very special and the perfect reduction for a variety of dishes.
For more delicious red wine sauces, check out our Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Juniper Red Wine Sauce or Pan Seared Duck with Cherry Port Sauce.
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What is a reduction?
A reduction is nothing more than cooking a liquid, creating evaporation, that causes the initial mixture to thicken and intensify in flavor. It is important to use the right proportions and high quality ingredients in a reduction as the flavors will be brought out in force when it is done.
Ingredients
This rich and fruity Blueberry Thyme Red Wine Reduction sauce requires the following ingredients:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: The olive oil is used to cook the shallot and peppercorns. You don't need to use a super high quality olive oil since you are simple cooking with it.
- Shallot: The shallot gives some good body and flavor to the finished reduction.
- Green Peppercorns: We love the fruitiness of green peppercorns combined with blueberries. They have a unique flavor compared to black peppercorns and we love them in this application.
- Water
- Brandy: This “secret” ingredient in the red wine reduction gives some extra depth of flavor.
- Blueberries: The star of the show here! Fresh berries are best for this recipe but thawed frozen blueberries can work well also.
- Red Wine: The other star of the reduction! We recommend Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon (especially fruit forward ones) or Bordeaux blends. Other options would be shiraz or malbec.
- Fresh Thyme: This all-purpose herb is perfect for this reduction.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Another little secret ingredient, ACV gives a sweet tanginess that is very subtle, but brightens the whole reduction.
- Sugar: For overall sweetness to balance out the other flavors in the sauce.
- Kosher Salt: We use just a little and adjust at the end, but we almost never need to adjust
- Balsamic Vinegar: You don’t need the finest quality or the most aged here, but try to use the real thing imported from Italy. This is the ultimate balancer and adds depth to the sauce.
- Butter: Adding unsalted butter at the very end adds a beautiful sheen and a little richness to the sauce.
See recipe card below for quantities.
Substitutions
Here are a few common substitutions for the ingredients in this rich sauce recipe:
- Blueberries: We love blueberries here, but blackberries work well also. Raspberries and strawberries are also great, but they are a touch sweeter, so you may want to adjust the sugar down a bit if using these.
- Shallot: If you don’t have a shallot, you can use onion in its place.
- Green Peppercorns: You can use black peppercorns if you cannot find the green variety. The flavor will be slightly different, but with all the other ingredients it won't be very noticeable.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: A perfectly good substitution for this is red wine vinegar.
How to Make Blueberry Thyme Red Wine Reduction
This recipe is very easy to make in just a few steps. Here is what you need to make this blueberry wine sauce.
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Fine mesh strainer
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cook the shallots and peppercorns
- Add the olive oil to a a large saucepan over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the shallots and green peppercorns and sauté until the shallots have some browning on the edges. Remove from heat and let cool for a minute.
Step 2: Add water and brandy and slowly cook it away
- Next, add the water to the slightly cooled pan with the shallots and peppercorns and stir. Then slowly add the brandy, being very careful - if the pan is still too hot the brandy can ignite, so make sure you do this slowly and carefully. Return the pan to medium-low heat and cook for a couple of minutes. After 2 minutes, you can turn the heat to medium and cook until very little liquid remains.
Step 3: Add most of the remaining ingredients and reduce
- Add the blueberries and stir. Then add everything except for the balsamic vinegar and butter and stir to combine. Cook on medium, stirring every few minutes, for about 30 minutes or until the blueberries have broken down completely. As you stir, you can press the blueberries some to help the process. Once the sauce has cooked for 30 minutes, it will have reduced into a thicker consistency.
Step 4: Strain and taste for seasoning
- Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl or container. Wipe the pan free of any chunks that didn’t come out. While the liquid strains from the solids, you can gently press down on the solids with the back of a spoon. Once the juices strain completely. discard the solids and return the liquid to the pan. Bring the reduction back up to warm over low heat and whisk in the butter and balsamic vinegar. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve over your favorite proteins, like duck, pork chops or a pork tenderloin, a rack of lamb or chicken!
Variations
Here are a couple of ways you can modify this recipe:
- Use a different fruit: As mentioned earlier, blackberries are a great second choice. Raspberries and strawberries work well also or you could use a mixture!
- Use White wine: A white wine reduction will also work well here. We suggest a fruit-forward un-oaked wine such as chardonnay or pinot grigio.
Storage
How to store leftovers in the fridge:
- This will keep in an airtight container for a week in the refrigerator
How to reheat leftover sauce:
- Low and slow. Just put the leftovers into a saucepan over low heat and warm it up
Can you make this Blueberry Thyme Red Wine Reduction in advance:
- You can absolutely do this. The best way to do this is get it all the way to the strained part (without butter or balsamic vinegar) and keep it that way. Then you can reheat it and add the butter and balsamic vinegar at the end right before you serve.
Can you freeze this sauce?
- We do not recommend freezing this sauce.
Top tip
Do not add the butter if the reduction is extremely hot or you’ll end up with an oily broken mess. Just warm up the reduction enough to melt the butter! If it is too hot, remove it from the heat to cool for a couple minutes before adding the butter.
Troubleshooting
This sauce is generally easy to make, but here are some issues that may occur and how to fix them:
Broken sauce: If you add the butter to the sauce when it is too hot and it breaks, you can re-incorporate the oil into the sauce by whisking vigorously, then adding some ice chips or very cold water (1 teaspoon) and whisk away until it comes together. Then gently warm it back up on very low heat.
Sauce too thin? If the reduction is too thin after straining, put it back on the heat for a bit to reduce further, then proceed to the remaining steps.
Sauce too thick? If the reduction is too thick, it can be thinned with some water until you reach the desired consistency.
What to eat with this Blueberry Thyme Red Wine Reduction
We love this sauce on pan seared duck breasts (click HERE for cooking duck breast). Because it is a reduction, a little goes a long way. But it has other applications that are just as delightful.
Try this sauce on roasted chicken, racks of lamb, pork tenderloins, or with any wild game (like dove, pheasant, quail, rabbit, or elk meat). It can also be drizzled on a roasted vegetable medley - again, a little goes a long way!
What wines pair with this blueberry sauce?
This reduction is assertive and delicious! So regardless of the protein you use it with, a red wine is a preferred pairing. Cabernet sauvignon and blends with this grape (like Bordeaux blends) are perfect. Another great pairing is an Australian shiraz (syrah in Europe). A big Malbec or a Dry Creek (California) zinfandel are also great pairings with this blueberry red wine reduction.
FAQ
The most important thing is to use a wine that you would like to drink! If you don’t like the wine, then what you don’t like about it will be amplified by reducing it. Other than that, use a wine with less oak character and a bold body such as the types recommended to pair with the sauce, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeax blends, Zinfandel, Shiraz/Syrah, or Malbec.
Time! Well almost entirely time. It takes time for the sauce to reduce and thicken, so be patient and allow it to do its thing. The natural components found in blueberries also make this sauce thicken, as does the sugar. But you can’t make a good reduction without taking some time doing it!
📖 Recipe
Blueberry Thyme Red Wine Reduction
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 small shallot chopped
- 1 teaspoon whole green peppercorns
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 2 Tablespoons brandy
- 1 pint fresh blueberries
- ¾ cup bold red wine
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut in pieces
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a a large saucepan over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the shallots and green peppercorns and sauté until the shallots have some browning on the edges. Remove from heat and let cool for a minute.
- Next, add the water to the slightly cooled pan with the shallots and peppercorns and stir. Then slowly add the brandy, being very careful - if the pan is still too hot the brandy can ignite, so make sure you do this slowly and carefully. Return the pan to medium-low heat and cook for a couple of minutes. After 2 minutes, you can turn the heat to medium and cook until very little liquid remains.
- Add the blueberries and stir. Then add everything except for the balsamic vinegar and butter and stir to combine. Cook on medium, stirring every few minutes, for about 30 minutes or until the blueberries have broken down completely. As you stir, you can press the blueberries some to help the process. Once the sauce has cooked for 30 minutes, it will have reduced into a thicker consistency.
- Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl or container. Wipe the pan free of any chunks that didn’t come out. While the liquid strains from the solids, you can gently press down on the solids with the back of a spoon. Once the juices strain completely. discard the solids and return the liquid to the pan. Bring the reduction back up to warm over low heat and whisk in the butter and balsamic vinegar. Taste and add salt if needed.
- Serve over your favorite proteins, like duck, pork chops or a pork tenderloin, a rack of lamb or chicken!
Nutrition
Food safety
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Margaret Quaadman says
Where is the recipe?????
Angela and Mark says
Hello Margaret! The recipe is at the end of the blog post. I check both mobile and web browsers and it is working on my end. If it continues to not work for you, please send me an email and I will send you the recipe directly. I hope you give it a try!