Wine Jelly

This no sugar wine jelly makes a great addition to your cheeseboard.   Combine the flavour pairing of cheese and wine in a jelly form.

You could also serve this wine jelly with turkey as an alternative to cranberry sauce (for adults only I hesitate to add) but we always enjoy it with slices of cheese as an appetiser or snack. 

I first came across a wine jelly when we lived in Aruba.   The Dutch love their cheese and one of the supermarkets sold a platter of cheese with a wine jelly as a dip for the cheese sticks.   Once we tried this delectable combination we were hooked, and it featured in our evenings enjoying a sunset.   The only downside was that this wine jelly had sugar in it, so I needed to make a version without sugar.

I can tell you from personal experience that chia seeds and wine do not work.  It was a waste of both ingredients and my plan for a wine chia jam failed.   For my next attempt, I reached for a packet of Vege-gel.   Well, I had to order a packet online and pay 3 times the cost in shipping charges as it’s not available in here.   For the non-vegetarians, use gelatin.

Adults Only Appetiser

This recipe is as simple as follow the instructions on the vege-gel or gelatin using wine for the liquid element.  I do not use any sweetener as I used a strong Cabernet Sauvignon wine.  You should taste the wine jelly and adjust for your own tastes. Other red wines you could use for a wine jelly are Merlot, Malbec and a Bordeaux.   

If you wanted a more festive wine jelly, add a dash of cinnamon and cloves for a mulled wine jam.  Cut up some cheese, reach for those low carb crackers and enjoy!