Smart Woman Online

Smart Tastes: Cooking with Wine

Find the Right Pairing to Add a Splash of Flavor

October 30, 2008
By Monyka Berrocosa

What makes an everyday cook seem way more gourmet? What takes the guesswork out of pairing food and wine in one quick snap? What secret ingredient might not only make your food better but you happier while cooking?

Why, wine of course.

To help you delve confidently into cooking with wine, I’ve compiled a little “Cooking with Wine 101” for you.

Which wine is best for cooking? Grocery store “cooking wine,” box wine or bottled?

Always start with wine you would drink. “Cooking wine,” often seen on the shelf in the condiment section of your grocery store, is not wine in the true sense of the word. It may have, somewhere down the production line, started as wine (though probably not very good wine), but it’s been processed and has so many additives and extra ingredients you don’t want to go there. Not to mention it usually tastes very bad.

If you’re just starting out, when it comes to picking the “right” kind of wine for cooking, try a tasty but affordable red or white blend (wines made up from more than one varietal). Box wines are terrific for newcomers to the “cooking with wine” club. They are affordable, provide great value, and you can’t beat them for convenience and the fact that they stay useable longer than wine bottled conventionally.

What’s the difference between wines high in alcohol, sweeter wines and everyday table wines?

Wine, like any liquid, cooks down (or evaporates), which concentrates flavor. This is why it is so critical to start with something you wouldn’t spit out.

Dry wines are easier to cook with, as there’s no higher alcohol or higher sugar level to contend with. Again, blends add a special something without lending dominant varietal overtones to a particular dish.

Keep in mind that fortified wines are stronger, which makes them slightly more complex to integrate without a recipe. You want to make sure you don’t overpower the other flavors of the dish, but that’s no reason not to try.

When a wine is fortified, essentially all that means is that supplemental alcohol has been added to allow for longer aging. Ports, Sherries and Vermouth fall into this category. Not to be confused with sweeter wines, which have higher residual sugar levels.

Paying attention to sugar level as well as alcohol is important – you don’t want to use a sweeter wine in a dish where a drier wine would be more appropriate, as the results could prove disappointing.

Do you include the wine at the beginning of the recipe, during cooking or after?

All of the above! The role wine plays depends highly on when you’re adding it to the recipe, the quantity you are using and what you do with the finished product. In the beginning, sticking to recipes, following the directions, makes for better results.

Alcohol evaporates around 175 degrees. Water, however, boils at 212 degrees, which is why when you add wine to a hot pan – to “deglaze” as the term goes – you end up with more water than wine. If you’re adding wine to a salad dressing, or finishing a dish with a splash of it before you serve, the alcohol content remains the same.

What are some of the most popular uses for wine in cooking?

Marinades – The alcohol and acid help to tenderize the protein.

Deglazing – Make a sauce all on its own or create a base for a specific sauce. Here, white wine needs less time to deglaze than red.

Braising – Wine is often used in the liquid base to cook certain dishes – poaching fish in white wine, for example, or using red wine as a base for beef short ribs. The flavor becomes infused into the dish.

Substituting wine for another liquid (usually water) – This is to be done with caution but can provide some delicious results. The key is to remember that you don’t want the alcohol to be overpowering, so this provides the best results when done in moderation (salad dressings and vinaigrettes) or when you are sure the cooking time will address the alcohol so all that remains is a pleasing flavor (baking, braising, stewing).

Finishing a dish – Wine is sometimes added to provide a flourish of flavor prior to serving – lobster bisque finished with Sherry, for example. Again, the key here is subtlety, not intensity. Wine should add a special something, not become the dominant taste in the dish.

What about people who don’t drink for personal, health or religious reasons, or if children are going to be eating as well?

My personal approach is, “When in doubt, do without.”

Top Tips for Cooking with Wine:

• Only use something you’d consider drinking.
• If you’re concerned about how much to buy, try half bottles or box wines.
• When considering wine for a given recipe, try wines that echo the origins of the dish. An Italian dish will be infinitely better with Italian wine, a French dish with French, and so on. This also takes some of the guesswork out of pairing.
• Keep in mind that when you’re cooking with wine, you’re intensifying flavor. Knowing key flavor characteristics of a given wine make for much easier incorporation into the appropriate dish.

Here’s a basic primer …

Sauvignon Blanc is great in any dish that uses vegetables or fresh herbs.

A Chardonnay’s buttery and creamy characteristics make it a natural for creamy sauces and dishes.

Pinot Noirs work better with poultry and fish.

Zinfandels and Petite Sirah both have spicy characteristics, making them perfect for many spicy dishes.

Port is a natural with duck, game, fruit dishes and desserts – as well as, of course, chocolate.

“I like cooking with wine so much … sometimes I even put it in the food.”

- Anonymous

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