Mustard Shallot Red Wine Vinaigrette

Put all ingredients *except* oil and stir or whisk to blend everything thoroughly, and at least until all sugar and salt are dissolved.

Give it a taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Then add oil and make sure to give it a really good whisking right before dressing your salad to incorporate the oil with the other ingredients.

The reason I always add oil last is because it's so much easier to taste the balance of seasonings before the oil's been added.

An optional ingredient you might consider having on hand for dressings is xanthan gum. In *very* small amounts, it's a great emulsifier, which helps keep the oil and vinegar parts of your dressing in suspension together, i.e., emulsified.

For this quantity of dressing, slurry about 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum with half a teaspoon of whatever oil you're using, then pour into the dressing and whisk or blend for 2 to 3 minutes.

Keep in mind that you can't slurry xanthan gum with water.