10 Tips For Cooking With Wine

First- a little history: cooking with wine has been done for centuries to tenderize meats and
enhance the flavor of all kinds of dishes, and to avoid disease.

The ancient Greeks and Romans cooked with wine and were known to include it in sauces,
braises, and stews. Pottery jars found in China in 7000 to 6600 BC, shows man was brewing
alcohol and we can surmise they used it in cooking, also.
Personally, I love wine, especially red wine, so it was not a stretch for me to learn to cook with it.

Wine Was Considered Healthier than drinking the water.

When Europeans came to the new world on the 17th. 18th, and even 19th centuries, they
brought their wine making knowledge and some vines with them.

At this time in Europe, water sources were often contaminated, leading to widespread
waterborne diseases like cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid. In contrast, wine, beer, and other
alcoholic beverages were often safer to consume.

Here’s why:

•  Wine offered a more reliable and safer beverage choice compared to the often contaminated water source.
• Alcohol has natural antimicrobial properties that can kill bacteria and other microorganisms.
• The fermentation process involved in winemaking further reduces the risk of contamination.
• Winemaking often involved boiling and filtering processes, which helped to eliminate harmful bacteria.
• This was a more reliable way to purify water than the methods available at the time.
• Wine and beer were often seen as more socially acceptable and even healthier alternatives to water.

Immigrants continued cooking with wine after they reached other shores because they were
used to doing so. Maybe they didn’t realize the water was cleaner here.

Why Cook With Wine

I love cooking with wine for the flavor it gives the dish and it really does tenderize the meat. But
there are some things you need to know.

Tip #1. My rule is to never use a wine in cooking that I would not drink.
The so-called ‘cooking wine’ you can find in stores is loaded with salt and preservatives and
tastes terrible. I never use it.

Tip #2. Add the wine early in the cooking process. Wines are used early in the cooking process
so that the alcohol can mostly burn off. You want the flavor of the wine in your dish, not the flavor of the alcohol.

How Long Does It Take For The Alcohol To Burn Off When
Cooking With Wine

Tip # 3. Always reduce the wine in the pan.

Some of the alcohol in a dish does burn off during the cooking process, but ‘some’ is the
operative word. Exactly how much burns off depends on how high the temperature was when
the dish was cooked; whether it was boiled; what other ingredients are in there with the wine and even the size of the pan comes into play.

According to Barbara Gordon, Register Dietician at Idaho University, the longer the time the dish is
cooked at the boiling temperature of alcohol, the less alcohol remains:

● 15 minutes, (boiling time), 40%alcohol remains
● 30 minutes 35% remains
● 1 hour 25% remains
● 2 hours 10% remains
● 2.5 hours 5% remains

When serving a dish where some alcohol remains, you have to consider who will be eating it.
For those in recovery, pregnant, breast feeding, and those who simply prefer to avoid alcohol, it
would be better to point out that the dish may have residual alcohol content.

What Wines Should You Choose When Cooking With Wine

I would say it is basically what you like in wine. Most recipes will give you options of what wines work best with the dish. The old ideas about white wine with poultry and fish, and red wine with meat are outdated. I cook with, and drink, what I like.

Tip #4. Try to match the wine to the dish

But strictly as a guideline, here are some choices:
○ Dry red and white wines-  Generally recommended for savory dishes. Good with fish and shellfish and meats

○ Sweet wines-  Such as Sauternes, Moscato, or sweet Riesling, are best for desserts like poached
pears. Some prefer these with cheese

○ Pinot Noir and Merlot –○ Pairs well with grilled vegetables, dishes with mushrooms, meats like beef and pork
and aromatic herbs.

○ Rice wine-  Used in East, Southeast, and South Asian cuisine to add flavor or neutralize unwanted tastes in food.
○ Riesling –  Pairs well with spicy Asian food.
○ Medium White wine- Can be used in lobster thermidor, which stuffs lobster meat back in its shell with a
wine-based sauce and cheese.
○ Shiraz – Many don’t like shiraz as it has a spicy taste, but like it with se and
appetizers.

 

My Personal Favorites

I like Merlot with beef, and enjoy Pinot Noir, sometimes too. I like white Sauvignon Blanc with a
lot of ice in a tall glass on a hot day, at a barbeque. I like Rose with Cheese. When I am
cooking, I use Merlot for beef recipes, and a dry Pinot Grigio with chicken or fish.

Tip # 5. Never use sweet wine with a savory dish.

 

The Different Ways To Cook With Wine

Tip #6. Deglaze the pan- it makes a good sauce.

● Deglazing a pan- (and making the gravy), especially good to do after sauteing fish or
chicken. Most of the alcohol remains as it only boils for a minute, but it makes a very
tasty addition to the dish.

● In braising or roasting beef. My best pot roast recipe cooks in the oven for a long time,
so the red wine I added at the beginning will be mostly gone.

Tip #7. Use wine in marinades.

● Wine is often used in sauces (like pasta sauce.)

Tip #8. Use wine in desserts, such as Cherries Jubilee

Tip #9. Poach veggies and fruits in wine, it is a unique taste.

Cooking With Wine Is Fun

However you cook with wine, it can be a fun experience. When my daughters and I cook
together, we have a blast cooking with wine, drinking a glass or two, and then sitting down to a
good meal with the family. So grab some friends and family and make an event out of cooking with wine.

If you want to see my best recipe for pot roast made with wine here it is. More than one person
has said it is the best pot roast they’ve ever had.