Elena's Berry Sauce

Background

My aunt, Elena, is a fantastic cook and I nabbed this recipe from her.

Recipe

4-6 cups mixed berries
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar (go easy)
6 tbsp lemon juice
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise; or 1 tsp vanilla
ice cream

In sauce pan, combine wine, water, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla bean. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved; boil, uncovered, until reduced to 1 1/4 cups (if using vanilla, add at this point). Remove vanilla bean and scrape seeds into syrup. If syrup is made ahead, let cool, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. To continue, reheat to a simmer. Gently stir berries into hot syrup; set aside to cool slightly.