Port Wine Sauce

A delicious silky sauce perfect for drizzling over a beef roast or wild game.

This sauce is a reduction of a tawny port, red wine and beef stock and is perfect for when you're sharing a special dinner.

Port wine reduction

This port wine sauce has such amazing flavor. We've made it to go over venison backstrap, but it can go with so many different red meats.

Tawny port is the star of the show in this sauce! Port wine comes from Portugal and it is a fortified wine, usually on the sweeter side.

Tawny port is the least sweet of all the ports and it is aged in wooden casks. Ports are often served as an aperitif, along with appetizers like cheese, or as an after-dinner drink.

When cooking with port or wine, select something that you enjoy drinking. Don't buy cooking wine. Start with something you enjoy and the flavors will transfer right through to your sauce.

Key ingredients

• Port - I've used a tawny port that has richer, deeper flavors than some other ports. A ruby port could also be used, just try not to go too sweet.
• Red Wine - Use a full-bodied, dry red wine. I used a cabernet sauvignon.
• Beef Broth - Use an unsalted broth.
• Shallots - Finely diced. The shallots add delicious flavor to the sauce. They are strained off after the sauce has been reduced.
• Butter - I use salted butter. The butter is whisked into the sauce after it has been reduced and strained. The butter makes this sauce silky smooth.
• Rosemary - Fresh rosemary is best. The rosemary adds a layer of flavor making this sauce even more amazing. The rosemary flavor is very subtle in this sauce.

Step by step directions

• Saute the shallots in a saucepan with a bit of butter
• When the shallots are soft, add port and red wine. Cook over medium heat until the sauce has reduced by about half.
• Add beef stock and rosemary
• Continue simmering until the sauce has reduced to about ⅓ -½ cup

• Strain the sauce and discard the shallots and rosemary
• Just before you're ready to serve, reheat the sauce to a simmer and whisk in 2 tablespoons of butter. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste.
• Remove from heat and serve while still warm

Recipe tips

• Use a port and red wine that are enjoyable to drink. The flavor is the base for your sauce.
• Once the sauce has fully reduced and you've strained it, you can cover and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. Then pull it out when you're ready, heat it, and whisk in the butter.
• When adding the butter, reduce the heat to a very low heat or turn off the heat altogether. Add the butter slowly and whisk, whisk, whisk.
• Taste the sauce and add just a dash of salt and pepper if needed

Serving suggestions

• Venison Backstrap
• Pan Seared Pork Chops
• Prime Rib
• Filet Mignon
• Roasted Duck

More elegant recipes

• Pork Marsala
• Oven Roasted Pork Loin
• Elk au Poivre
• Braised Short Ribs

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Port Wine Sauce

Kathy Berget

A flavorful sauce that's been reduced and is silky smooth. Perfect for drizzling over beef, venison, or other wild game.

5 from 34 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 1

Calories 165 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Sieve
• ▢
  Whisk

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter
• ▢ ½ cup shallots (finely diced)
• ▢ 1 cup tawny port
• ▢ 1 cup red wine
• ▢ 1 cup beef broth (unsalted)
• ▢ 1 sprig rosemary
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter
• ▢ salt
• ▢ pepper

Instructions

 

• Saute the shallots in a saucepan with a bit of butter
  1 tablespoon butter, ½ cup shallots
• When the shallots are soft, add port and red wine. Cook over medium heat until sauce has reduced by about half.
  1 cup tawny port, 1 cup red wine
• Add beef stock and rosemary
  1 cup beef broth, 1 sprig rosemary
• Continue simmering until sauce has reduced to about ⅓ -½ cup
• Strain sauce discarding shallots and rosemary
• Return sauce to pan and bring back to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and whisk in remaining butter one tablespoon at a time
  2 tablespoons butter
• Add a dash of salt and pepper and serve warm
  salt, pepper

Notes

• Yield is between ⅓ cup and ½ cup of finished sauce
• Use a port and red wine that are enjoyable to drink. The flavor is the base for your sauce.
• Once the sauce has fully reduced and you've strained it, you can cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Then pull it out when you're ready, heat it and whisk in the butter.
• When adding the butter, reduce the heat to a very low heat or turn off the heat altogether. Add the butter slowly and whisk, whisk, whisk.
• Taste sauce and add just a dash of salt and pepper if needed

Nutritional Disclaimer:

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoonCalories: 165kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 1gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 201mgPotassium: 177mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 177IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg

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