Wines for Cooking

Use full-bodied red wine in dishes with red meat

Avoid bottles in the supermarket specifically labeled as being cooking wine. These low quality wines have salt and other additives mixed in to justify a higher price tag. Instead, cook with a wine of a good enough quality to drink. Wine can be used as part of a marinade for meats, cooked down when used as a cooking liquid or added late in the preparation of a dish for taste. The amount of wine used in cooking ranges from two tablespoons when added for flavor up to half a cup when used as a cooking liquid.

Dry White Wines

Dry wines lack sweetness thanks to a fermentation process that uses up all of the sugars from the grapes. Dry white wines include Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Chardonnay. If you're new to cooking with wine, use Sauvignon Blanc as it cooks down easiest in recipes. Chardonnay is better for those with experience, as it can become too acidic while cooking if you're not careful. Use dry white wines in dishes featuring pork, seafood, poultry or in the preparation of cream sauces.

Full Bodied Red Wines

A full bodied wine has more alcohol and a heavier taste on the palate. Full bodied red wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz. The weight of these wines is strong enough to stand against red meat, tomato based sauces and soups or stews with a beef broth base or root vegetables in the ingredients.

Fortified Wines

Fortified wines are wines that have had brandy and spices added during the manufacturing process. The main fortified wines are Vermouth, Sherry, Port, Marsala and Madeira. Each type comes in a range of flavors from dry to sweet. Dry fortified wines can be substituted for dry white wines where those would be appropriate or used in vegetable-based soups. Sweet fortified wines pair well only with sweet desserts.

Regional Wines

When creating dishes with origins in a specific region, stick to the theme and use wines from the country as well. Use Italian wines in an Italian dish, for example. Italian dry white wines include Frascati, Soave and Verdicchio. Full body red wines from Italy include Amarone, Brunello di Montalcino and Salice Salentino. Marsala, a fortified wine already mentioned, is also from Italy.

References

• What's Cooking America: Cooking with Wine
• Ochef: Cooking with Dry Wine
• Ochef: Choosing a White Wine for Cooking
• Bar School: Learn the Basics of Wine
• All Holy Land Wines: Glossary of Wine Terms
• Cook's Thesaurus: Fortified Wines

Resources

• Alcohol Reviews: The Types of Italian Wine