Combine wine, sugar, water, vanilla bean and lemon juice in a pot that it is deep enough to hold all the pears but doesn’t have too wide of a base. You want the liquid to cover the pears.
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. You can do this ahead of time, cool and reheat the liquid to a simmer if desired.
Peel and core pears using a melon baller or rounded teaspoon.
Place pears in warmed poaching liquid and simmer, uncovered, until tender, approximately 1-2 hours. The time will depend on the ripeness of your pears.
To test for doneness, slide a paring knife or a cake tester into the stem end of the pear. It should glide easily through and pull out will no resistance.
Remove pears from poaching liquid and cool liquid and pears separately.
Once cool, store pears in poaching liquid. They are delightful and ready to serve immediately, but it will take 2-4 days for the red to reach the core of the pear. The longer they sit, the redder they get!