Ever wonder which wines are best for cooking? This guide to cooking with wine gives you tips on choosing the right bottle to add rich flavor to your food.

“I love cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food”

– W.C. Fields

Wine is for drinking, I know, but it’s also for sharing with friends and family, and for moments—sometimes celebrations, other times just the joy of gathering around a meal. And that’s the thing, right? Wine and food work together so well! It’s no wonder so much has been written about the subject. Yeah, even by me. But we also use it for cooking, don’t we? So, if wine is for drinking, what wine should I use for cooking?

In this little article I will try to answer that question, keeping it short and sweet. Let’s get into it.

Why Even Use Wine for Cooking?

Cooking with wine boosts the flavors of the dishes. Wine is complex, and adding it to the dish adds some of that same complexity. You add herbs and spices to enhance[i] the flavor profile of your dishes. Well, same with wine. When cooking with wine, think of it as seasoning. If nothing else (and there will be a lot more) it will add acidity.

Wine is also better than water because it has more layers of flavor. I worked for a chef whose pet peeve was adding water to his dishes when any other flavorful liquid could’ve been used instead[ii]. His recipes always used other liquids, like milk, soda, tea, stock (of course), fruit or vegetable juices, and certainly wine and other liqueurs. Depending on the recipe, and on when you’re adding the liquid (more on that later), wine can be a wonderful alternative.

How To Use Wine When Cooking?

Now that we know why to cook with wine, how do we do it? Are there some guidelines worth following?

Yes! Thanks for asking.

• Use wine to deglaze your pans. Any liquid would do, of course, but wine is wonderful here because of the added acidity and complex aromas. Cooks always deglaze because they know that there are many flavors in the pan’s fond[iii].
• Add the wine early during the cooking process. You want to slowly simmer it down and reduce it. The more you cook the wine, the deeper the flavors you’ll get. Flavors will concentrate the more you reduce them.
• Use moderate temperature for more control. You don’t want to burn the fond, as this will result in bitterness. Remember, tannins are already bitter, and that’s not the flavor you want to enhance. Even if you’re looking to reduce the wine au sec[iv], do it slowly. You’ll thank me later.
• Don’t use too much wine, because you’re adding acidity and bitterness to your food. You don’t want too much of either[v].

We now know the why and the how. Time to tackle the what:

What Wine to Use When Cooking?

This one could easily be answered in eight words: Only cook with wine you would drink yourself. This is the one thing I’d like you to remember from this article. But let’s get into it a bit more.

Find the goldilocks wine: not too cheap and not too expensive. Stay away from anything sold as “cooking wine”. There’s no such thing: There’s drinkable wine and undrinkable wine. Cook with the former. The rest is labeled “cooking wine” so producers can still sell it. On the other hand, cooking with expensive wine feels wasteful. You could—and should—be drinking that wine! There are perfectly acceptable everyday wines that are better suited for cooking.

Of course, if the recipe only calls for a splash, and you can spare it, feel free to pour some of your fine wine to the pot.

When Cooking with Wine… White or Red?

Let me get this out of the way first. I use white wine for most of my cooking to avoid bitter tannins and the added color that many recipes don’t need. I also find it easier to balance my flavors when using whites over reds. However, that’s only me. You do you!

However, if you’re looking for recommendations, I’d suggest a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, since Chile has great options that won’t break your wallet. That’s what I normally use when cooking with white wine. But in general, you’re looking a fresh, dry, and acidic wine. Pick whatever fits your economy.

Red wines, on the other hand, are a bit trickier. I would normally recommend using a robust wine for braises and stews. Something like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, for instance. However, some of the better-known recipes calling for red wine originate from Burgundy, where the grape is Pinot Noir. In the end, I don’t think you can go wrong as long as you pick a wine you’d enjoy drinking.

Oh! And don’t sleep on fortified wines[vi]! Use the real thing[vii] and simmer for longer, as they have more alcohol than regular still wine.

Cooking with Wine Removes the Alcohol, Right?

Yeah… about that…

So, turns out, not really. Or at least not all of it. Cooking wine for a little while removes some of the alcohol. Cooking for longer removes most of it. But there will always be some alcohol left over[viii]. If that’s a real concern, it’s best to avoid it. However, there’s no substitution for the flavors imparted to your dish from properly reduced wine.

The Last Drop

I used to give cooking classes in a five-star resort. I always made it a point to explain the role of wine in cooking. I did a demo for the guests and talked about how and when to add wine to the pan. I still remember some of the speech[ix] I used to give at the time:

“Cook the garlic (always adding it after the onions and harder veggies) until aromatic and then add a splash of wine. This will cool down the pan, so the garlic won’t burn[x]. Reduce the wine by half—at least that’s what recipe books say. But what exactly is half if we’re not measuring? Instead, use your nose. At first you will smell the alcohol evaporating, but soon the aroma will change to fruiter notes, starting mild and eventually becoming a deep, concentrated fruit juice. That’s about when you want to stop reducing and move on to the next step.”

-Me, probably, circa 2014

This explanation was, of course, accompanied by me showing each step while the guests gathered around the cooking station.

I truly enjoy cooking with wine, and I’m sure you do as well. Did I miss any tips? Is there anything else you’d like to share? Please, go for it in the comments below! For instance, if you have experience cooking with zero alcohol wine, I’d love to hear about it!

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Footnotes

[i] And characterize as well! Specific herbs and spices are characteristic of certain cuisines. For instance, I always think of cumin, onion, tomato, parsley and oregano in my mom’s Bolivian sofritos. Well, it’s the same with wine: it would be hard to imagine beef bourguignon without stewing the preparation in red wine!

[ii] The only exception was when making stock: water, bones, veggies, and other aromatics.

[iii] The fond are the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Deglazing is the act of using liquid in the hot pan to loosen those bits and scraping them to add them to sauces or stews.

[iv] “Until dry”. Basically, cooking until the pan is dry again. A great technique to concentrate flavors to their deepest expression.

[v] The exception would be dishes that call for stewing mostly in wine. I’m talking braises like osso buco, coq au vin, or the aforementioned boeuf bourguignon.

[vi] A traditional Spanish recipe—one I grew up with—is kidney simmered in a sherry sauce, but you’re probably more familiar with sauces made using madeira.

[vii] That is, Port and Madeira from Portugal, Sherry from Spain, Marsala from Italy, etc.

[viii] A study showed that even after two and a half hours of cooking, a beef stew would still retain about  5% of the wine’s alcohol.

[ix] Of course it wasn’t the same all the time, but there were a few concepts I strived to get across. I also don’t remember all I used to say. Give me a break, though. This was over a decade ago.

[x] This one’s a freebie. It helps to add liquid to the pan once the garlic starts to lightly brown. Last thing you want is the bitter flavors of burnt garlic in any dish.

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Cover Image: Yes, you can flambé while cooking with wine. Photo by Taha Samet Arslan.