Salvageable? My beef bourguignon is sour-tasting.

[E_M]

So I made the above last night and strained the sauce and refrigerated it. This morning I skimmed the fat from the liquid and went to taste it. It's rather...sour tasting. I used no salt or pepper so far, but I can't fathom how either could make this taste better. (The stock had little salt in it.)

What would you recommend to improve the flavor? I already used tomato paste and garlic, though of course, can always add more.

[E_M]

Thanks everyone. Once I heated it up and added some pepper and the flour/butter mixture, it is pretty darn tasty. It was missing the butter flavor, I think.

For the first time, my stew looks dark and glossy, just like in all the pictures!

Happy New Year!

[LJS]

Yes, to re-heating before abandoning all hope. As to correcting the sourness, if it remains a problem, go with the traditional and sweeten..rather than sugar per se, you could try maple-syrup and add some dry mustard to re-balance the flavour portfolio.

[C. Hamster]

I'd heat it too, then retaste. Did you taste the wine you used to make sure it wasn't off? I assume you cooked it for several hours.

And always season at the beginning rather than the end of cooking.

[Robin Joy]

Was the sauce fridge-cold when you tasted it? I find that cold stuff can taste odd. I'd call it metallic for a red wine sauce. I'd suggest heating a small amount to see if it tasted better.