Red Wine Vinaigrette (Classic + Delicious)
Red Wine Vinaigrette is a simple, zesty, versatile salad dressing that complements a variety of salads, veggies, and pasta salads, and it’s great as a marinade, too!
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If you've ever eaten a salad with "house dressing" at a restaurant, odds are you were enjoying a Red Wine Vinaigrette!
That's because this salad dressing recipe is a classic. It's zippy and zesty but neutral enough to be versatile across a variety of salads, pasta salads, drizzled over roasted veggies, and even as a marinade!
Ingredients
Basic ingredients...extraordinary flavor!
Just keep in mind that since this Red Wine Vinaigrette is so simple, all of the flavors are really going to shine through. So using good-quality ingredients is important.
- Extra-virgin olive oil. The traditional choice of oil for a Red Wine Vinaigrette. That being said, feel free to substitute your favorite type of oil.
- Red wine vinegar. Obviously. 😉
- Dijon mustard. For depth of flavor and emulsification.
- Honey. Just a squeeze helps balance the acidity without making the dressing sweet.
- Dried oregano. Or if you'd like to use fresh oregano, remember that it's three times less potent than dried...so use three times as much!
- Garlic powder. For a garlic undertone without too much zip. Although, again, you could substitute a clove of finely minced fresh garlic if you like.
- Sea salt. To help make the other flavors POP!
- Freshly ground black pepper. To taste.
- Water. The water is optional and may not be necessary if your red wine vinegar is mild and smooth. But if your vinegar seems a bit too zingy, adding a little water will mellow out the flavors.
Feel free to tweak any of the ingredient amounts to your liking, adding more or less to taste, to make this Red Wine Vinaigrette recipe your own.
How to Make Red Wine Vinaigrette
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
It's easy to whip up a batch of Red Wine Vinaigrette in a matter of minutes!
- Measure the extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon, honey, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a mini food processor.
- Process until smooth and well-blended.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt and/or pepper if necessary. If your Red Wine Vinaigrette tastes too zingy, you can add 1 teaspoon of water at a time, blending and tasting again, which will help mellow out the flavors.
Alternatively, instead of making your Red Wine Vinaigrette in a food processor, you can opt to shake it up in a jar or vigorously whisk it in a bowl!
Color Variations
Your Red Wine Vinaigrette may be more red/pink or more yellow (like the dressing in these photos). Either is fine!
The color is going to be dictated by the particular brand/quality of the ingredients that you use and whether you whisk or shake the vinaigrette vs. make it in a food processor. The latter results in ultimate emulsification, which can alter the texture and/or the color of the dressing.
Yield + Storage
This Red Wine Vinaigrette recipe yields about ¾ cup, which will give you six 2-tablespoon servings or eight 1 ½-tablespoon servings.
Leftovers may be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Allow the dressing to come to room temperature and vigorously shake it before using.
Keep in mind that extra-virgin olive oil (and many other types of oil) will thicken and sometimes even solidify when chilled. So it's important to take this vinaigrette out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you intend to enjoy it!
Or, if you need to bring your dressing to room temperature quickly, rest the dressing jar in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes and then shake.
So if you're ready to add a new favorite salad dressing to your repertoire, this Red Wine Vinaigrette is a must-try!
It's bright and robust.
It's ridiculously versatile in its uses.
And it's beyond quick and easy to make!
Hope you enjoy this one, friends. 🙂
More Tasty Vinaigrettes
Red Wine Vinaigrette (Classic + Delicious)
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 to 2 teaspoons water, OPTIONAL
Instructions
- Measure EVOO, vinegar, Dijon, honey, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously until well-blended and emulsified.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and/or pepper if necessary. If your Red Wine Vinaigrette tastes too zingy, you can add 1 teaspoon of water at a time, shaking and tasting again, which will help mellow out the flavors.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- Instead of shaking your Red Wine Vinaigrette in a jar, you can opt to vigorously whisk it in a bowl or whiz it together in a mini food processor or blender.
- Feel free to tweak any of the ingredient amounts to your liking, adding more or less to taste.
- The water is optional and may not be necessary if your red wine vinegar is mild. But if your vinegar seems a bit too zingy, adding a little water will smooth out the flavors.
