Change that slightly, Allie, to not cooking with a wine that you wouldn't drink, and you'd be closer to the mark.
We don't drink a lot of wine here, either. But when choosing a cooking wine I shy away from the really cheap stuff that, to me, tastes cruddy. I ask myself, "would you drink this with what you are preparing?" If the answer is "no" then I know better next time.
Still and all, there are numerous wines selling for less than ten bucks that serve you well. You just have to experiment a little to find ones that suit you.
For whatever it may be worth, I have settled on two for my day-in, day-out cookery. For whites I go with an Australian Pinot Grigio. For reds its a Shiraz.
Some recipes do specify the kind of wine, and for those do not substitute. Madaira, Sherry, and Marsala, for instance, bring a particular flavor to the dish, and should be used where specified. But otherwise, find one of each that you like, and adopt them as your house wines. |