In Need Of A Dry White Wine For A Recipe

[jte1130]

I've never used wine before in any recipes. Kind of new to cooking. I'm looking for some recommendations on a dry white wine. I've been told before that if you wouldn't drink it then don't cook with it.

[stephsherman323]

I generally use Robert Mondavi Woodbridge chardonnay. It isn't my idea of a good wine, but it's certainly drinkable and does well in cooking for about ten bucks. For cooking at home, I've been using the quarter bottles. I am strictly a red wine drinker, so having single serving wine bottles eliminates a lot of waste. Mondavi makes these, as does Luna di Luna which I think is marginal, and Sutter Home that is not passable. I've also been known to substitute dry vermouth with a splash of lemon juice in a pinch.

[jte1130]

Single serve size bottles are definitely a good idea, especially if you won't be drinking it. A larger size bottle is alot to waste.
I also heard something about Kendall Jackson wines.
Not being a wine drinker I'm not familiar with the types so I'm not even sure of what a "dry white wine" would be.

[Suzanne]

Dry wine is not sweet. That is, when you taste it, you will get the essence of grape flavors, and some acid or tartness, but not a lot of sugar.

Some dry white wines are chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, and pinot gris or pinot grigio. There is also dry riesling, which is a little "softer" (has a little more sugar) but still does not taste sweet. White vermouth works well in most recipes; it has other flavors, but usually will not make the dish taste very different. And it keeps well (see below).

A regular bottle of wine is 750 milliliters, a little over 3 cups. If you need much less for your recipe, then it might be worth it to buy a half-bottle or something smaller if it's available. Remember, though, that small-size bottles are proportionally more expensive than full bottles.

You want to keep away from really cheap white wine (jug wine that comes in gallon bottles for under $10 dollars); it tastes horrible and will ruin the dish you use it in.

If you buy a bottle and only use part of it, the best way to keep it is to transfer the leftover to a smaller bottle or jar that holds it with little or no air space, and keep it in the fridge. You can also drop clean marbles into the bottle to bring the level back up to the top and re-cap it tightly. Whichever you do, keep it in the fridge.

[scott123]

I've got a fancy schmancy wine store near me and I asked them the same question a few years ago. They directed me towards a Spanish wine called "Protocolo." It's a good, solid, drinking/cooking dry white wine. Last time I checked, it was $4 a bottle.

[jte1130]

I have had pinot grigio on occassion and enjoyed the taste. At least I know it won't go to waste if I buy a bigger bottle.

[Suzanne]

Well, good then. That's the most important thing: you've got to like it.

[riverrun]

I say start sampleing some white wine and cook with the one you like to drink or may be serving with the dish.

[Andy M.]

Consider buying a bottle of dry white vermouth for a wine to cook with. It's fortified so it will not spoil. Another alternative is to buy one of the less expensive but drionkable wines mentioned and freeze the leftovers in an ice cube tray or other small containers. If you need a little wine for a sauce or dish, just pop in a "wine cube" or two.

[kuan]

Dry? That's when the bottle is empty right?

[BeachBaby]

jte,

Your best bet for an all-around dry white for cooking is pinot grigio. Chardonnays can be too oaky and sauvignon blancs can be too grassy, where pinot grigio tends to be blander (particularly at the budget level suitable for cooking expenditure) but that's a good thing in cooking. You can give a pure wine flavor to food without inadvertently adding other flavors. And more good news, you can buy Italian imports for $5-7 that are good enough for the cook to drink if there's any left over.

[Suzanne]

Originally Posted by BeachBaby

jte,

Your best bet for an all-around dry white for cooking is pinot grigio. Chardonnays can be too oaky and sauvignon blancs can be too grassy, where pinot grigio tends to be blander (particularly at the budget level suitable for cooking expenditure) but that's a good thing in cooking. You can give a pure wine flavor to food without inadvertently adding other flavors. And more good news, you can buy Italian imports for $5-7 that are good enough for the cook to drink if there's any left over.

Left over?????????

[TabathaJones]

Hmm, I'd hate to waste a Pinot Grigio on cooking, but since you only use a little bit and have the rest of the bottle left over...I'm not too familiar with the different types of white wine, but isn't the Sauvignon Blanc typically really dry. Riesling is my typical white of choice, but I've heard had a dry riesling -- typically pretty sweet.

I would just stop by the Cost Plus for wine to cook with -- they have an enormous selection of bottles in the $7-10 range.

[BeachBaby]

Tabatha, reasonably good wine is never wasted on cooking (though yes, a wine can be too good and precious to do anything other than drink it). PG's aren't expensive; there's no reason to worry about wasting a PG but not a Sauvignon Blanc. As you say, many good ones in the $7-10 range, and in fact with the wine glut that exists in the world today there's better quality at the $5-7 mark than there was even five years ago. Reisling is usually too sweet to cook with, unless the extra residual sugar is useful to your recipe.

[KeeperOfTheGood]

Hey oh

Well, I've said it before, and will again. Most of the time I use a good house wine. Not the "wine in a box" stuff thats only good for frat parties. House wines are usually the default wine that is mild enough to not be dissagread with by the general drinker, usually doesn't posses a huge character or signature flavour, and is usually sold without an appalation, and usually bears the name of the winery itself, and does not state varietals used.

That is, when my recipe calls for 1 or 2 or 3 liters of wine.

If it is something really special. Like an ice wine chocolate mouse... YA use the best. An ounce or two of really fine wine can go far. Even when added in the last ten minutes of cooking, a fine wine will help add to a dish character and depth. A fine red wine stew can be easly done innitially with a house red, and finnished with 2 or 4 oz of a fine port or a strong red like a shiraz.

Hmm, well, that is what I have found cooking at home. I have also had the dissapointment of using fine wines, only to have the flavour and characer dissapear with cooking, or the taste to change and become dissagreable.... So, having tried a dozzen of the 100+ area wineries house wines, I now know what to expect of them, and who's I like, etc. (and obviously, a dozzen out of a 100+ simply means far more yet to try )