Delicious for drinking with food, dry red wines (dry meaning they have less sugar) are also useful in cooking. As with white wines, the acidity in red wine will punch up other flavors in the dish, provided there's not too much tannin (that bitter flavor that makes your mouth pucker) or oak (that toasty vanilla flavor from aging in oak barrels) to overshadow the food. Red wine is delicious as part of the liquid for braising or stewing (think beef Burgundy or coq au vin). It's also wonderful for deglazing pans to make a pan sauce for seared lamb, duck, pork, or beef. You can even use red wine for flavoring desserts. Port can often be used in place of red wine in pan sauces, but it usually comes with a higher price tag. Avoid at all cost the "cooking wine" at the supermarket; instead, choose something you wouldn't mind drinking—ideally, a wine you'd pair with whatever you're cooking. The best red wines for cooking are those with moderate tannins: Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese (the main grape in Chianti), and lighter-style Cabernets.

Heat won't improve the undesirable qualities of bad wine: it will accentuate them. Conversely, heat kills the subtle nuances in a complex wine, so save the really good stuff for drinking. In general, go for young wines with lively fruit notes for the best flavor in the pot or pan. Because wine also contains alcohol, you usually add it at the start of cooking so the alcohol has a chance to burn off. Splashing wine into a dish at the end of cooking usually results in an unpleasant raw-wine taste. Store unopened bottles in a dark, cool, place. Once opened, wine will begin to oxidize, which adversely affects flavor. Recork opened bottles and refrigerate them to slow down the process; try to finish off an opened bottle within a few days. Recipes using dry red wine Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Caramelized Shallots & Red Wine Red Wine-Braised Pot Roast Coq au Vin (Chicken with red wine) Six-Spice Braised Short Ribs Cookbooks, DVDs & More Check out all cooking Books & DVDs

“If you do not have a good wine to use, it is far better to omit it, for a poor one can spoil a simple dish and utterly debase a noble one.” – by Julia Child (1912-2004), American chef, author, and television personality The first and most important rule:  Use only wines in your cooking that you would drink. Never – ever use any wine that you would not drink! If your do not like the taste of a wine, you will not like the dish you choose to use it in. Do not use the so-called cooking wines!  These wine are typically salty and include other additives that my affect the taste of your chosen dish and menu.  The process of cooking/reducing will bring out the worst in an inferior wine.  Please promise yourself never, never to stoop to such a product!   Linda’s rule of thumb is – I do not cook with something I will not drink. An expensive wine is not necessary, although a cheap wine will not bring out the best characteristics of your dish.  A good quality wine, that you enjoy, will provide the same flavor to a dish as a premium wine.  

Save the premium wine to serve with the meal. Check out the following great web page:  How To Successfully Taste Wine – Wine Tasting Basics Wine has three main uses in the kitchen – as a marinade ingredient, as a cooking liquid, and as a flavoring in a finished dish.best wine list in china The function of wine in cooking is to intensify, enhance, and accent the flavor and aroma of food – not to mask the flavor of what you are cooking but rather to fortify it.best box wine value As with any seasoning used in cooking, care should be taken in the amount of wine used – too little is inconsequential and too much will be overpowering. best quotes on wineNeither extreme is desirable.  good wine to have with dessert

A small quantity of wine will enhance the flavor of the dish. The alcohol in the wine evaporates while the food is cooking, and only the flavor remains.  Boiling down wine concentrates the flavor, including acidity and sweetness.  Be careful not to use too much wine as the flavor could overpower your dish.best red wine to bring to a dinner party For best results, wine should not be added to a dish just before serving.  best value wine californiaThe wine should simmer with the food, or sauce, to enhance the flavor of the dish. buy wine beer onlineIf added late in the preparation, it could impart a harsh quality.  best type of wine with fish

It should simmer with the food or in the sauce while it is being cooked; as the wine cooks, it reduces and becomes an extract which flavors.  Wine added too late in the preparation will give a harsh quality to the dish.  A wine needs time to impart its flavor in your dish.  beer and wine open nowWait 10 minutes or more to taste before adding more wine. Remember that wine does not belong in every dish.  More than one wine-based sauce in a single meal can be monotonous.  Use wine is cooking only when it has something to contribute to the finished dish. All wines contain some small amount of sulfites, as they are a natural result of the same fermentation process that turns grape juice into alcohol.  Even wines that have not had any sulfites added during the wine making process contain some amount of sulfites.  Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is used by winemakers to keep freshly pressed “must” from spoiling.  

It keeps down the activities of native yeast and bacteria and preserves the freshness of the wine. When cooking with wine containing sulfites, you do not concentrate them as you would flavor, but rather they evaporate like alcohol.  The sulfite goes through a conversion in the liquid of the wine to produce sulfur dioxide. This is actually the compound that prevents the oxidation.  It also is a gas, and when subjected to heat, it dissipates into the air. All that remains is some salts, but they are so minute in quantity that they have no affect on flavor. Leftover wine can be refrigerated and used for cooking if held for only 1 or 2 weeks.  If you have at least a half bottle on wine left over, pour it off into a clean half bottle, cork it, and store in the refrigerator.  Without air space at the top, the rebottled wine will keep for up to 1 month. 1/2 to 3/4 cup raw wine = 2 tablespoons of wine reduction For ultimate flavor, wine should be reduced slowly over low heat.

This method takes more time and effort, but will achieve a superior sauce because the flavor compounds present in the wine are better preserved. QUESTION:  Will recipes taste better if I use a premium or expensive wine? ANSWER:  A good-quality wine will give the same fine flavor to a dish as a premium wine or expensive wine. Save the premium wine to serve with the meal. Remember – only use wines in cooking that you would enjoy drinking. QUESTION:  What is “cooking sherry?” ANSWER:  Cooking sherry usually has salt or chemicals added to make it unpalatable as a sipping wine.  Sold in small bottles, it is generally more expensive than regular sherry.  I do not recommend using anything labeled “cooking wine.” QUESTION:  Can I use leftover wine for cooking?To save leftover wine for cooking, pour into smaller bottles, cork tightly and store in the refrigerator. QUESTION:  How much wine should I use in a recipe when cooking? ANSWER:  This question depends upon the flavor intensity of the wine and the foods you are cooking.