I recently started experimenting with making my own preserves and jellies, and I found a great recipe for Cabernet Sauvignon Jelly from DJ’s Sugar Shack. I love the idea of using wine in cooking just about anything, so this recipe was right up my alley.

This is a really easy recipe to make, even if you haven’t made jellies or preserves, and it makes a great gift in a jar! I added cranberry juice to my recipe, just because I thought it would taste good, and it turned out great; it’s a little tart and a little sweet, and the flavor of the wine subtly comes through. As far as the wine, I used a Cabernet Sauvignon with bold flavor, but you can use whatever red wine you like. My only suggestion would be to avoid a sweet wine. Also, be sure to use a wine you would enjoy drinking; never cook with a wine you wouldn’t drink!

Serve this jelly with crackers and aged cheeses or on top of cream cheese. Delish!

Red Wine and Cranberry Jelly

Ingredients

1 bottle of red wine
3¼ cups of sugar
1 (3-ounce) envelope of liquid pectin
Juice of one lemon
1 cup of cranberry juice (I used cranberry juice cocktail)
⅛ teaspoon of butter

Instructions

In a small sauce, pan bring 1 1/4 cups of wine to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil the wine until it is reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 20 minutes.
In a large sauce pan, combine the sugar and remaining wine bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add the pectin, lemon juice cranberry juice and butter. Stirring constantly, return to a rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute. It's really important to bring it to a strong rolling boil and stir constantly. The first time I made this jelly I ended up throwing it out because I bring it to a strong rolling boil, so it didn't get the jelly consistency I was hoping for.
Remove from the heat and stir in the wine reduction.
Carefully transfer jelly to sterilized jars with tight fitting lids. I preserved the jars in a water bath by boiling them in a water bath for 10 minutes. This can be done in a large pot or canner.