Infused Wine with Lemon and Rosemary

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Making infused wine with fruit and herbs is one of my favorite things to do! It’s super simple, adds a deliciously subtle flavor and is a great way to bring new life to wine that has been left open for a day or so!

Make infused wine for your next party. It's really refreshing and I think the herbs and fruit are something all your guests would love. This would make a great baby or bridal shower drink idea. | Cupcakes and Cutlery — Let me show you my favorite herb infused wine recipe.

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Why Infuse Wine

Infused wine is a really simple way to add fruit and herb flavors to a bottle of your favorite wine. It’s also a great way to stretch out a bottle of wine that you can’t drink fast enough. Yes, that happens from time to time in my house.

If you’re not ready to make full-on wine cocktails, infused wine is perfect for you.

If you don’t love how your wine tastes after it has been open for a few days, this is a great way to make it drinkable! I used to waste so much wine. But when I came up with this herb infused wine recipe I felt way less wasteful.

Infusing wine with other flavors is basically the same idea as a sangria (btw, you should try my Iced Tea Sangria – so refreshing). But, like, way less work and using different flavors.

Related: Red Wine Smoothie Recipe

I’m a big fan of fresh herbs (and wine, duh). I love to add a fresh basil leaf or two to my glass of sauvignon blanc. I love how the aroma hits my nose as I bring the glass to my lips. So infusing a bottle of wine with herbs and other flavors is a fun way to mix things up.

I’m not sure why this isn’t more of a thing. It’s a super simple way to add your personal touch to a beverage. The idea is both hippie and Martha Stewart at the same time. And it is SO easy to do!

Ingredients

Fruit and herb infused wine is a super simple recipe. — What you need to infuse wine with fruit and herbs.

wine (your favorite kind. I used white wine but I’m sure it works with red wine or rosé too)
fruit (lemon, other citrus, berries, stone fruits, watermelon – just about anything)
herbs (basil, rosemary, mint, etc)

There aren’t too many rules for making a wine infusion. I used white wine (sauvignon blanc) because I like it better than red and it seems like a perfect summer beverage.

I used a Sauvignon Blanc because it’s my wine of choice but this would totally work with a Pinot Gris (it would be EXCELLENT with a Pinot Gris), Pinot Grigio or even a Riesling if you like things a little sweeter.

Many Sauvignon Blancs are tart and have a citrus note already so the addition of the fresh lemon peel is perfect. And the minerality gets cut a little bit by the fresh rosemary.

I would skip the Chardonnay (which can have a lot of its own buttery and oaky flavors going on) and stick with something a little on the crisp side.

How to make infused wine with fresh herbs.

Citrus fruits work really well and most herbs would be so tasty!

Make herb infused wine. I chose to make rosemary and lemon but you could pretty much pick anything! | Cupcakes and Cutlery

I know everybody’s tastes are different but I love the way fresh herbs bring life to everything they’re used in. Their fragrance is intoxicating. The flavor they impart in a dish can be super subtle or totally vibrant. But always delicious.

They are the perfect way to add flavor without jacking up the calories in something. And now that it’s swimsuit season, I need all the help I can get with that. God forbid I stop drinking wine to save calories…

Rosemary, basil, mint and thyme would be excellent!

How to Infuse Wine

How to make herb infused wine. It doesn't even require a recipe, just pick your favorite herbs and fruit and create your own delicious drinks! | Cupcakes and Cutlery

All you have to do, to make infused wine, is add your favorite herbs and fruit to the wine and let it sit. So easy.

Infused wine is super easy to make and doesn't even require a recipe. Pick your favorite herbs and citrus and create your own herbal wine flavors. | Cupcakes and Cutlery

Steps

Clean and dry the rosemary sprigs.
Use a vegetable peeler to remove some lemon zest taking care to not get too much of the white layer (which is bitter).
Add the fruit and herbs to the wine bottle and close tightly.
Let the wine sit anywhere from overnight to 2-3 days to infuse the flavor.
Remove herbs and lemon peel and pour yourself a glass.

Variations

You can change up this infused wine recipe any way you want to! Try different herbs or fruits. We know berries and stone fruit work well with wine (thanks sangria!) and I love basil with my wine. Do what you think would taste great!

Beauty Tips

Infusing wine with fruit and herbs doesn’t really do anything to the structure of the wine to prolong it, but I think the flavors mask the change in wine as it oxidizes (or something, now I’m just getting carried away with the few wine words I know).
When I tried the herb and wine infusion the next day, the flavor was subtle. It was refreshing and easy to drink.
Next time I would use more herbs. I wanted a stronger flavor. I’m definitely going to keep playing around with infusing wines.
Determine the amount of herbs and fruit to use based on how much wine is in the bottle.
Money-saving | Infusing wine is perfect for parties. You can use inexpensive bottles of wine, since you are adding in fresh flavors, which would help you stretch your party budget.

Make Infused Wine with fruit and herbs for a refreshing twist on your favorite glass of wine. It’s quick and easy and you’re going to love it!

I really think infused wines should be the next big thing. And how pretty does that bottle look!?

Rosemary Lemon Infused Wine Recipe

Lemon and rosemary are a natural pairing and great place to start when making your own infused wine for the first time.

The bright lemon scent and color is magical and adds a freshness to everything. Lemons for president.

Rosemary has that woody aroma, almost pine -ike that also hints at lavender. I love it so much. I’ve been making a lot of rosemary simple syrups lately for my coffee. SO unexpected and totally delish!

The amount of rosemary and lemon peel will depend on a few things like how much wine is in the bottle and how intense you want the flavor to be.

You can see from the images in this post, I used 2-3 rosemary sprigs and 3-4 good-sized pieces of lemon peel. Next time I would do even more.

Direction would be the same as above!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I infuse wine?

Yes, you can, and you should infuse wine! Wine takes on the herbal notes from things like rosemary, basil and thyme. And citrus zest adds a nice brightness when left to infuse overnight. It’s fun to play around with the aromatics and come up with different flavor combinations.

What kind of wine can I infuse?

Any kind of wine can be infused! I would stay away from chardonnay on account of how overpowering the oak can be. And I would skip sparkling wine as the bubbles will go flat by the next day and it won’t have the same flavor you enjoy.