When the recipe calls for wine, reaching for a standard grocery store cooking wine might be tempting. Before hitting the store, you may have everything in your wine rack as several famous sipping wines are excellent for cooking.
This article addresses how wine enhances food and the best wines for cooking those decadent dishes.
Cooking Wine vs Wine
The main difference between cooking wine and sipping wine is the alcohol content, as much of the alcohol burns off when cooking. However, wine made solely for cooking isn’t your only option, as there are plenty of robust sippers with the right amount of acidity, alcohol, and flavors to bring out the best in your dish.
Let’s explore the effect different aspects of wine have on food.
How Wine Impacts Food
From tannins to alcohol content to unique flavors, each component in wine plays a special role when it comes to cooking. Keep reading for a full breakdown.
Alcohol
While alcohol doesn’t necessarily add flavor to dishes, it brings out the flavors of other ingredients. Alcohol releases flavor molecules in food and dissolves fat, revealing a taste that oil and butter can’t achieve as well.
The key is ensuring all the alcohol cooks off to properly reveal flavors. Otherwise, it may leave a sharp, boozy taste behind.
Acidity
All wine has acid, but some contain more acidity than others, which makes them excellent when cooking with highly acidic foods like tomatoes. For example, match a wine-based tomato sauce for pasta with a potent red wine like Sangiovese or Chianti. Otherwise, the flavors may fall flat. Acid is an essential component when cooking as it lends to a dish’s structure.
Tannins
Tannins are the astringent textures in wine that coat your palate and are the result of natural polyphenols from grape skins, seeds and stems. Wines like Cabernet Sauvignon have thicker skinned grapes, resulting in higher tannins, which make for excellent cooking.
Tannins are classic in beef dishes as they help soften proteins, resulting in a more decadent dining experience.
Flavors and Aromas
If you want to bring out a specific flavor or aroma in your dish, choose a cooking wine that matches its distinct characteristics. For example, if you have an earthy dish and want to make this flavor stand out without overpowering, try Pinot Noir, which boasts notes of red fruit and forest floor.
If you want to bring out the lemon splash in a particular seafood dish or pasta, a bright white like Sauvignon Blanc will do the trick.
Keep reading to learn more about the best wines for cooking.
Best Wines for Cooking
Remember that once you’ve opened a bottle of wine, oxygen will start to break it down, oxidizing it and turning it into vinegar. This is why it’s important to taste your wine before you cook, especially after opening it, to ensure it doesn’t taste flat and bitter.
Here are some of the top wines for cooking.
Cooking With Red Wine
The perfect balance of rich and savory red wines will concentrate the flavors of certain dishes and soften robust ingredients like red meat. Red wines also shine when it comes to deglazing. These are our top suggestions for red cooking wine.
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1. Cabernet Sauvignon
The most popular varietal in the world, Cabernet Sauvignon is a bold, full-bodied, dry red wine with dark fruit flavors and robust tannins. It’s ideal for braising proteins like ribs and red meat, and the leftover wine can easily be turned into a glaze. Try cooking a deliciously savory braised beef stew with this well-loved vino.
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2. Merlot
A silky red that’s fruit-forward with low tannins, Merlot is versatile as cooking wine and specifically favored as a reduction sauce over chicken, duck, pork, or mushrooms. Heat the wine on low with spices in the pan and wait until it simmers. The result is a thick, rich sauce with bold, concentrated flavors.
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3. Pinot Noir
If you want to tenderize meat without overpowering it, Pinot Noir works well with fattier dishes like duck or Beef Bourguignon. Lower tannins complement its earthy and fruity flavors, making this smooth vino a deliciously easy flavor enhancer.
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4. Madeira
Similar to an aged balsamic vinegar with prune and spice notes, this fortified wine is unique with burnt sugar, citrus, and hazelnut flavors. Madeira is a sweet wine with a high alcohol content, making it the perfect dessert glaze when exposed to heat. The reduction sauce will caramelize nicely and is delicious when making sweet cakes or classic chicken Madeira.
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5. Marsala
Sold in both dry and sweet variations, this fortified type of wine from Italy is the classic base for chicken Marsala. When dry, it tastes decadent when cooked with shellfish and is also used to make custard-based desserts when sweeter.
Cooking With White Wine
White wine is a great way to lighten up just about any dish. Let’s explore some of the top white wines for cooking.
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6. Sauvignon Blanc
With crisp, refreshing fruit flavors, bright acidity, medium-body, and prominent herbaceous notes, this dry white wine harmonizes well with cream-based sauces and seafood dishes, balancing their textures and flavors. This wine tastes marvelous as a base for the classic French cream sauce, Beurre Blanc.
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7. Pinot Grigio
Dry and crisp with stone fruit and citrus flavors complemented by a light body and moderate acidity, Pinot Grigio is a classic for brightening seafood dishes and creamy pasta. Drizzle over steamed mushrooms or shrimp linguini after cooking.
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8. Chardonnay
Chardonnay is sublime as both a cooking wine and drinking wine, boasting a fruity flavor profile, classic buttery textures, and medium to full body. This vino is a beautiful complement to creamy chicken dishes and pasta sauces. Avoid oaked Chardonnay, as unoaked varietals will complement without overpowering flavors. Use this wine when preparing Coq au Vin Blanc (chicken with white wine) or pork loin with herb gravy.
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9. Sherry
When choosing a wine prime for cooking, Sherry is a fail-safe. This aged white wine supplemented with brandy is famous for braising meats and earthy vegetables.
Cooking With Rosé
If you’re cooking with lighter meat like chicken and aren’t sure whether a red or white wine is more suitable, Rosé comes with the red fruit flavors of red wine and the brightness of white wine. It's lovely for deglazing fruit like apples and pork as well. Rosé is perfect for adding a soft tartness to just about any dish.
Cooking With Champagne
When cooking with Champagne, the drier or more “brut,” the better. Between the bubbles and sugars, it's best to have as much control as possible. Dry Champagne or other sparkling wine variations like Prosecco do well when roasting chicken.
For Your Next Cooking Night
Make shopping for your next significant cooking night easier with premium, affordable selections from Macy’s Wine Shop. With a vast array of red wines and white wines. we’ve got everything you covered.
Visit The Wine Blog for recipes, wine deep dives, and more on your favorite sippers.