Cooking with burgandy

[dozer]

I have a recipe for a basic maranara sauce that calls for "burgandy wine"
This may sound silly, but what kind should I use?

[hotwine]

I sure wouldn't cook with a true Burgundy! Pick up a cheap Pinot Noir, one like Maison Nicolas VdP d'Oc, available at Sam's Club for $7.99.

[Botafogo]

Au Contraire, mon frere!!! I have an original edition of Escoffier's Cuisine de France and the dish we now know as Coq au Vin is presented as Coq au CHAMBERTIN (using two bottles of the grand cru burg in the process).

Moral of the story: you wouldn't ask your butcher for a "cooking" chicken (meaning not of top quality) nor your greengrocer for some "cooking" mushrooms so why spoil a sauce or a marinade with crappy wine?

Wouldn't you feel ripped off if you ordered Barolo and Truffle Risotto in a nice Italian joint and they made it out of Nebbiolo from Temecula and canned button mushrooms?

BUT, I've got to say that a recipe for an italian sauce that calls for "burgundy" is assuming that all that is available is some erzatz plonk from California CALLED Burgundy and that recipe is not very authentic. Use a nice Salice Salentino or a basic Chianti and you'll be fine.

Roberto


[This message has been edited by Botafogo (edited 08-18-2002).]