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Red Wine Burgers Recipe

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Posted by:

Erin Lynch

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Updated:

March 9, 2025

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4.95 from 18 votes

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Red Wine Burgers are a decadent treat for your summer BBQ. Seasoned with a red wine-shallot reduction, topped with melted cheese and served simply with a thick slice of tomato and lettuce. Yum!

Side view of red wine burger on plate topped with tomato slice.

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OK. You all know I’m a girl who likes her wine. Give me a rich bold Cabernet, a bright tangy Rosé or a butter bomb of a Chardonnay and you’ve basically won my heart.

I don’t discriminate – I like all wine, but I typically shy away from the heavy red wines in the summertime – Instead, reaching for a Viognier, Riesling or Pinot Gris.

So, what’s a girl to do in the summertime when she has a lot of red wine on her hands but doesn’t want to drink it until rainy-October makes its way back around?

She makes red wine burgers. That’s what!

Two plates with red wine burgers next to glass of red wine.

Of course, I’m not talking break open your prized bottle of Cabernet. No… There’s no fancy wine needed here. I actually used a Cabernet-Merlot blend from one of those jumbo bottles that you find in the grocery store.

And then I made Sangria from the rest of it. 

Note – That’s a great plan of attack. Sangria pairs perfectly with a backyard BBQ and these red wine burgers. I made a blackberry sangria loosely based off of this recipe. Talk about a perfect pairing.

In order to get a great red wine flavor infused into the burgers, I created a red wine reduction. It’s simple to do by simmering your wine for 20-30 minutes until it thickens up a bit and becomes concentrated.

 Here are my 13+ favorite red wines for cooking.

I also threw some shallot into the mix to give it even more flavor. When it got nice and reduced (by about half), I melted some butter and brown sugar into that mixture to add even more depth and make it extra rich.

Some of that red wine reduction will get mixed into your burger patties before they go on the grill, the rest will be used to baste the burgers as they cook away.

When they’re finished, they’re the most beautiful color and SO flavorful.

Side view of red wine burger on plate topped with tomato slice.

Because I wanted that red wine burger flavor to really shine through, I kept the toppings on these burgers minimal. Adding a slice of cheese to each patty as they came off the grill and then simply topping each with a thick slice of tomato and a few leaves of lettuce.

Of course, you can get as creative as you’d like with your burger toppings. You really can’t go wrong here.

These would be fantastic with a bit of blue cheese dressing and caramelized onions, or try them with a garlic aioli and swiss cheese and quick pickled onions. The possibilities are endless.

How would you top your red wine burgers? Would you keep things simple, like I did? Or, would you really dress them up? I’d love to hear in the comments below!

What to Serve with Them

  • German Potato Salad
  • Grilled Potato Salad
  • Cherry Tomato Salad
  • Arugula Salad
  • Summer Pasta Salad
  • MORE 35+ Sides for Burgers
  • PLUS 35+ Sauces for Burgers
  • PS – Check out these 35+ Favorite BBQ Sides to serve too!

Wine Pairings

  • Syrah
  • Cabernet
  • Zinfandel
Side view of red wine burger on plate topped with tomato slice.

More Burger Recipes

  • Veggie Burgers with Pickled Cabbage & Tahini Sauce
  • Cheeseburger Salad with Special Sauce
  • Air Fryer Burgers
  • Green Chile Cheeseburger Recipe
  • Red Wine Lamb Burgers
  • French Dip Burgers

Did you try these red wine burgers?

If you loved these red wine infused burgers, I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a ⭐️star review⭐️! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.

For more great Platings and Pairings recipes, be sure to follow me on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and Facebook.

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Side view of red wine burger on plate topped with tomato slice.

Full Recipe

Red Wine Burgers

These Red Wine Burgers are a decadent treat for your summer BBQ. Seasoned with a red wine-shallot reduction, topped with melted cheese and served simply with a thick slice of tomato and lettuce. Yum!
4.95 from 18 votes
Print Pin
Serves 4 people
Created by Platings and Pairings
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 30 minutes mins
Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1 ½ cups red wine
  • 1 shallot (minced)
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 Burger buns
  • 4 slices of your favorite cheese
  • 8 large tomato slices
  • Lettuce (for topping)

Instructions

  • Boil wine and shallots in medium saucepan until reduced by half, 20-30 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon butter and brown sugar; whisk until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Mix remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Set aside.
  • Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Mix beef, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup wine-shallot mixture in bowl. Form meat into four burger patties. Grill burgers until brown on bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn burgers and brush with additional wine-shallot mixture. Continue grilling burgers until cooked to desired doneness, turning and brushing occasionally with wine-shallot mixture, about 4 minutes longer for medium-rare. Top with a slice of cheese and remove from grill.
  • Grill the buns, cut sides down, until lightly browned. Top bottom buns with burgers, then tomato slices and lettuce. Cover with top buns and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 721kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 1005mg | Potassium: 661mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 260IU | Vitamin C: 1.1mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 5.3mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @platingsandpairings or tag #platingsandpairings!

This post was originally published in 2017. It was updated in 2024 to add new photographs. The red wine burger recipe remains the same. Enjoy!

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4.95 from 18 votes (12 ratings without comment)

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16 responses

  1. John in Phoenix
    June 14, 2022

    5 stars
    Uhm, YUMMMMMMM . I cannot wait to try this weekend. I will come back and share the results haha. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  2. John
    August 23, 2022

    5 stars
    I feel like since we are going with red wine for the burger, I will simply go with beer next to my burger.

    Reply
  3. Jasmine
    August 31, 2024

    5 stars
    This was great! I only used 1 lb of beef! I also used Tabitha Brown’s red wine. My boyfriend loved it too! Adding this to my recipe book!

    Reply
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Hi, I’m Erin!

Can I pour you a glass of wine? Let’s have some fun in the kitchen! Maybe some pasta? A juicy steak? I’ve got loads of yummy, easy recipes for you! Because cooking should feel as comfy as your favorite yoga pants. ♥

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