cooking with wines

[mainewman10]

When a receipe calls for a dry or sweet,red or white wine, what type of wine is recommanded to cook with? (with red meat or chicken?)

[Innkeeper]

Hi Mainewman and welcome to the Wine Board. First of all do not under any circumstances use anything labeled "cooking wine." For sweet wines we use port (red), or vermouth or sherry (white). These are all fortified wines. For dry wine you can either use the wine you are going to be drinking with the dish or keep a 1.5 liter jug of something halfway decent in the fridge for this purpose. Right now the best deals for this are the Chilian wines you find in the grocer or discount wine dealer for $6 or $7 for 1.5 liters. We usually keep a cabernet/merlot blend and a savignon blanc.

[Thomas]

I will be shot for saying this, but Cribari (California) makes a line of inexpensive knock-off on-the-sweet-side wines: madeira, marsala, et al. They are all quite good for cooking. The madeira makes a wonderful base for sauces. You could use the real stuff, but if you use as much of these wines as I do for cooking--daily--you will need quite a bit of money.

Elsewise, it is generally good to use for cooking the wine you will be drinking.

IK is correct: never, ever use wine labeled "cooking wine." In the U.S., a federal mandate demands that those wines be rendered undrinkable. The thing that makes them undrinkable also makes them useless for cooking, mainly lots of salt.

[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 11-13-2000).]

[winecollector]

I'll throw myself on the grenade as well- also use cribari to cook with and have been very satisfied.

[mrdutton]

Unless I am soaking wood chips for use on the grill, I usually do not use cali Chardonnay for cooking.

Otherwise, I cook with the wine I'll be drinking with the meal. That does not mean that I buy two $40.00 bottles of Chablis: one for cooking and one for drinking. However, I'll use a much less expensive chablis for the cooking and drink the good stuff with the meal.

If I plan on a Crus Beaujolais for dinner, I'll cook with a Beaujolais-Villages....... etc., etc.

I also like Foodie's suggestion for using the Cribari in lieu of REAL maderira or marsala.

Whatever you do, enjoy!!