Homemade sweet red wine vinegar salad dressing is easy to make with olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, and honey. This sweet and tangy vinaigrette balances the sharpness of the vinegar with a touch of sweetness and fresh citrus. Mix it in a Mason jar in just five minutes for a bright, flavorful dressing that pairs especially well with green salads.
If you’re looking for a more tart homemade vinaigrette dressing, try this recipe for Creamy Dijon Vinaigrette. It’s not only great for salads, but a drizzle over grilled chicken is a treat.
Quick Look: Sweet Red Wine Vinegar Salad Dressing
- 🧁 Yield: 1 ¾ cup
- ⭐ Features: Homemade ✓ Sweet ✓Tangy ✓
- ⌛️ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🍪 Cook Time: 0
- 🕑 Total Time: 5 minutes
- 👩🍳 Skill Level: Beginner
- 🏆 Why make THIS version? A perfect balance of tangy vinegar, fresh lemon, and honey, creating a bright, flavorful vinaigrette that makes every salad shine.
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This is a simple, no-mustard, no-garlic version of red wine vinaigrette. Just shake the ingredients together in a jar or whisk them in a bowl, then drizzle over your favorite greens. It’s an easy way to make a fresh salad dressing from everyday pantry ingredients.
Why You’ll Love This Dressing
- Sweet and tangy: Honey balances the acidity of red wine vinegar without making the dressing overly sweet.
- Fresh citrus flavor: Lemon juice adds brightness alongside the vinegar.
- Simple ingredients: Olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper create a flavorful dressing without a long list of seasonings.
- Quick to make: Shake everything together in a jar or whisk in a bowl.
- Versatile: The dressing is especially good on fresh green salads, including tender red-leaf lettuce. (my favorite)
I can’t tell you how many times we made this dressing in Culinary School. It was our “go-to” when making any Italian entree. And in my opinion, the best Red Wine Vinaigrette recipe I’ve found.
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Sweet Red Wine Vinegar Salad Dressing
- Why You’ll Love This Dressing
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How To Make Homemade Sweet Red Wine Vinegar Dressing
- Tips for Success
- Variations
- How To Use It
- Sweet Red Wine Vinegar Salad Dressing FAQ’s
- Storage
- Sweet Red Wine Vinegar Salad Dressing (Red Wine Vinaigrette)
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Red Wine Vinegar: Provides the dressing’s characteristic fruity acidity and tang. Use a standard, pourable red wine vinegar rather than a thick, sweetened glaze.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: Adds a clean citrus note that brightens the dressing alongside the vinegar. Freshly squeezed juice is a good choice when you want that fresh lemon flavor.
- Honey: Softens the sharpness of the two acidic ingredients and gives the vinaigrette its gentle sweetness.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 2 parts oil to one part vinegar provides richness and body, balancing the acidity and helping the dressing coat salad greens.
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper: Seasons the dressing and bring its sweet, acidic, and fruity flavors into balance.
How To Make Homemade Sweet Red Wine Vinegar Dressing
- Step 1: Place all of the ingredients in a Mason Jar that’s at least 16 ounces or 32 ounces.
- Step 2: Place the lid tightly on the jar and shake it hard for about a minute or until the ingredients are well blended and emulsified. Or combine ingredients in an oversized bowl and use a whisk to blend ingredients.
Tips for Success
- How To Use It: In Culinary School we often made a very simple green salad using a head of tender red leaf lettuce, batons of red bell pepper and thin sliced shallots. It’s a simple salad that compliments an Italian food entree without steeling the show. Beautiful in color and soft in texture, it will welcome the flavor.
- Don’t dress the salad ahead of time. The acid in the lemon juice and the red wine vinegar will wilt those tender leaves. Dress the salad just before serving.
Variations
- Add in one or two tablespoons of Greek yogurt to make this a creamy red wine vinaigrette.
- Add two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese for that cheesy feel.
- Add a teaspoon of Italian Seasoning to give it an extra punch of flavor.
- You can substitute Agave Syrup, however keep in mind, it will create a sweeter flavor than honey and will give the overall flavor more caramel.
How To Use It
Aside from a simple red leaf lettuce salad, I love using this dressing on my recipe for Hearts of Palm Salad. But there’s more to vinaigrettes than just a salad dressing. Here are some more uses.
- Use it as a marinade for grilled chicken, grilled flank steak or even grilled shrimp.
- Toss vegetables with red wine dressing before roasting.
- Use it to dress a pasta salad.
- For a seasonal salad that pairs peppery greens with sweet fruit and creamy cheese, try my Arugula salad with grilled peaches and goat cheese.
Sweet Red Wine Vinegar Salad Dressing FAQ’s
Red wine vinegar and red wine vinaigrette are two different things. Red wine vinegar is made by fermenting red wine. It’s popular for use in Mediterranean style recipes such as marinades and vinaigrettes. Red Wine Vinaigrette is made by using red wine vinegar along with olive oil and sweetness to make fresh salad dressing.
If the dressing tastes too sharp for you, add honey in small increments like ½ teaspoon at a time. Use a lettuce leaf to test the flavor rather than judging the dressing on its own.
Absolutely. Once made, place it in the refrigerator until ready to use. Please note that the dressing will separate, so let it come to room temperature and shake the jar well to redistribute the ingredients.
Storage
Store any leftover vinaigrette in the same Mason jar you used to blend it. Red wine vinaigrette will last in the refrigerator for up to a week to 10 days.
Explore More Homemade Salad Dressings
If you enjoy a salad with plenty of crunch, try my Company Lettuce Salad with Crispy Chow Mein Noodles, a family-favorite combination of crisp greens, and an Asian inspired sweet-and-tangy dressing, with crunchy toppings.
And if you’re in the salad mood, don’t miss my Salad Category, you’ll find a ton of great salad recipes, dressings and vinaigrettes. Including the most popular salad dressing on my site for Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing. With hundreds of five star ratings, this is one you’ve got to try.
Want to switch up the flavors? My Southwestern salad with a zesty homemade vinaigrette combines crisp vegetables, black beans, corn, and a bright cumin-lime dressing."
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Sweet Red Wine Vinegar Salad Dressing (Red Wine Vinaigrette)
Equipment
- 1 Mason Jar
Ingredients
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 3 ½ Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 ½ Tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a 16 ounce or 32 ounce Mason jar and seal the jar well. You can also use a large bowl and a whisk.
- Shake the dickens out of that mason jar for about a minute to blend the ingredients. Serve immediately over your favorite greens.
Notes
- I like tender red leaf lettuce for this vinaigrette recipe. Beautiful in color and soft in texture, it will welcome the flavor.
- Don’t dress the salad ahead of time. The acid in the lemon juice and the red wine vinegar will wild those tender leaves. Dress the salad just before serving.
Nutrition
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
So, I can’t grow anything. But I am great at eating and this salad dressing is really worth eating.
That salad really pulls the meal together. Wait, I sound like The Dude.
🙂
They do indeed deliver in my area!
Good! Thanks Rachel.
What a lovely salad! I’ve failed miserably at trying to grow lettuce here. Perhaps next season I’ll try a large container.
I’ve never grown it! So you can imagine I’m pretty proud of that pot of beautiful greens.
Thanks for coming by foodyschmoody. I’m now following you via Google+. I love this salad idea. I, too, am growing that type of lettuce and have been running out of ideas so the timing of this post is perfect!
We really liked that sweet version of the Vinaigrette. And of course the fresh mozzarella and olives made for a great combo.
LeaAnn your salad looks delish! You mustalso have a green thumb! It has been so hot and dry this summer that everything I’ve planted looks worse for the wear. I usually had giant basil plants in NY by this time in summer, but the ones I planted here are puny, despite planting them in Miracle Grow soil and frequent watering. I think it may be the cool night temperature that is stunting them–but maybe that helped your lettuce grow so well?
I will definitely look further into the Covenant Ranch Trucking service! It’s good to know they deliver to CO. Love the give away!
Growing up on a farm, I better have a green thumb! It has been a little hot this season, but I think the wind has taken it’s toll. Good to hear from you Pat. We need to plan lunch.
I love fresh from the garden leaf lettuce and best salad he ever had is way impressive. A few plants can provide lots of lettuce. I believe I could eat the scallops and remoulade as well.
I am so excited that you have lettuce in July! My lettuce crop is starting to bolt and rather than mourn, I am going to plant a container on my patio NOW. I’ve always thought it was sad that the lettuce bolts just as the tomatoes are getting ripe. Love this idea! Also, if Bob said this is the best salad he’s ever had, I am making this Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette! And finally – I did go to their website and they don’t come near Montana. :-/ But I’d love to win the giveaway.
I am a huge fan of red wine vinaigrettes – love how tangy they are. The salad looks lovely… can’t beat homegrown veggies!
Gorgeous salad Lea Ann. At the beginning of the summer Whole Foods was selling pots of assorted lettuce and I have regretted not getting one ever since. This post makes me regret it even more. The dressing sounds wonderful.
Good recipe. I used more honey, way less salt. I also liked it with 2t Grey Poupon.
Your lettuce from your garden is so pretty. We tried growing lettuce once in our herb garden, but planted it too late and it bolted. Think you have better growing conditions.
Sam
Of all the gardening I’ve ever done (and I owned a nursery for about 6 years), I’ve never grown lettuces. That will change this winter. Yours is beautiful and inspires me even more.
Lea Ann, Your lettuce looks beautiful! This is my first year growing lettuce and I have three different kinds also growing very fast and healthy to my surprise. Covenant ranch Does deliver to Longmont! I will check them out some more and would love that book. I started gardening this year with four raised beds I bought from the ace hardware. Also to my surprise most everything is growing as it should. I love red wine vinegar! I will be learning to make mozzarella this Thursday in Longmont. Can’t wait. Happy Summer;)
I love red wine vinegar! I will definitely give this salad a try with those first few precious salad greens from the garden.
I went and looked to see if there is a delivery drop near me, and, of course, there isn’t! The only problem with living in the middle of nowhere is that no one knows you’re here!