cooking wines

[graeme]

I am learning to cook with wine and would like to find a good white wine as well as a good red wine for cooking.

[Tyrrell]

When cooking I like to drink powerful Syrahs for reds and really fruity Rieslings for whites, but most often I just take a nip of whatever I'm going to serve with the meal.

But more seriously, I imagine that the best wine would be heavily dependant upon the particular dish that you are cooking. Some of the other people here regularly advise against cooking with wine that is too heavily oaked because they claim that you get the aroma of the oak rather than that of the wine.

[Drew]

Not only the aroma but a nasty bitter flavor added to the dish.

DRew

[Innkeeper]

Welcome to the Wine Board Graeme. One thing that needs to be said here is do not use the so-called "cooking wines" sold in grocery stores. If they were really wine, they would not be on that shelf. Although the general admonition is to cook with the wine you are going to drink; this is not always possible or feasible. For small quantities of wine I usually use fortified wines I keep on hand for such use; dry vermouth for white, and tawny port for red. At other times I have kept in the fridge inexpensive wines for cooking. These have to be used quickly as they do not last as long as the fortified wines.

[Thomas]

I'm with IK on this. I used to use dry red wine in my tomato sauce, but I find I like the sauce better when I add a sweet fortified wine like Madeira to it--the sweetness tones down the acidity of the tomato, and the intensity of the wine adds some flavor. Cooking with dry sherry often works well instead of a dry white wine, and cooking with port for sauce reductions can be orgasmic...I better stop now [img]http://wines.com/ubb2/eek.gif[/img]

[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 01-23-2004).]

[mrdutton]

I like to use dry Vermouth, Maderia, Amontillado sherry and balsamic vinegar. I'll also use the wine that I intend to drink with the meal, if that wine is not too pricey.

I've not tried using Port, but have had red meat meals with port/dark fruit reductions when dinning out that have been, as foodie said, orgasmic.

[Drew]

I often use Australian tawny port to add richness to beef drippings from roasts, steaks, filet, etc...and yup it's sometimes like foodie said [img]http://wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img]

Drew

[Innkeeper]

When we roast goose (usually at Christmas) we estimate the cooking time and remove from oven an hour before done. After draining off all the fat, we return it to oven and baste it every fifteen minutes with a fourth cup of Tawny Port for the last hour. All the while we are making stock with the goose neck, wings, inards, and approprate aromatic veggies, herbs, and seasonings. When goose is done, we remove it and rack from roaster, and make gravy with the stock and flour with what is left in the bottom of the roaster. It is like Foodie says...........!

[Thomas]

I think we've found a way for a cyber orgy...

[sedhed]

My mother used a bit of sugar to her tomato sauce to lighten the acidity and used the wine we wre going to drink with the meal to add to the sauce. She used to say never cook with a wine you would not drink with the meal you are cooking.[some kind of Sicillian thing]

[Kcwhippet]

Mother knows best. Very good advice.

[Thomas]

sedhead, I used to add a little honey to the sauce, but have discovered that a nice sweet wine, like Madeira, really enlivens the sauce and takes care of the tomato acids.

[sedhed]

I'll give that a try. How about a sweet marsala?
I think they used sugar because it has a relatively neutral taste.

[Innkeeper]

Sweet Marsala works great.

[Thomas]

Sure, the sugar is neutral. But by adding the sweet wine you add both wine and sugar; there is no need for the red wine.

[Georgie]

Why do you think I love Port?