This Port Vinaigrette alone could give your menu the pizzazz you want for a special meal.
It is delicious on a substantial salad. I served it with this Grilled Pear Salad with Blue Cheese. This is a great idea for a holiday meal, especially if it is the type of holiday where there might be a bottle of Port wine open!
It could overwhelm a delicate salad but it would certainly enhance a spinach salad with grilled mushrooms or spicy arugula salad with thinly sliced beef.
What Can I Substitute For the Port?
Let's face it - we are not likely to open a bottle of Port just to make a vinaigrette. If you are intrigued and want to try it anyway America's Test Kitchen says you can substitute a red wine such as Merlot (or Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz would likely work too) for the Port. The trick is to add light brown sugar, a ¼ teaspoon at a time, until the sharper wine flavour is tamed by the sugar. Port after all is much sweeter than a dry, still red. Then just continue with the recipe. It won't be totally the same but it should still make a great vinaigrette!
How To Serve Port Wine
If you are new to Port wine you can check out this Basic guide to buying and serving Port.
Port Vinaigrette
If you tried this, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know it went in the 📝 comments below!
Save Print Pin FacebookIngredients
- 1 cup Ruby Port see Notes to substitute red wine.
- 1 shallot minced
- ½ cup walnut oil recommended but you can substitute olive oil in a pinch
- 1 ½ Tbsps red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring port and shallot to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until port is reduced to a ½ cup. (about 10 minutes). Strain the port and allow to cool. Discard the shallots.
- Whisk in all the remaining ingredients just before serving.
Leave a Reply