I want to establish 3 basic cooking wines...Help!

I would like to establish 3 inexpensive ($7 - $10)standard wines in our kitchen to cook with. A red, a white and a sherry. What do you use everyday? Thanks.

[mudbug]

I don't have specific recommendations. The standard rule is "If it's good enough to drink, it's good enough to cook with. When we cook with wine, we usually drink the bottle the same night. When you go to the liquor store, tell them what you're looking for and what your price range is. They can recommend something to go along with your main course. Use that to cook with and you can enjoy it with your meal. I don't think many people keep their wines very long once they've been opened because they become oxygenated pretty quickly.

Jesse, are you looking for something to use at home or in a professional kitchen? I'm not sure about price but one of my faves (from a place I used to work at) is a white table wine from a french producer called Valbon. Check with your wine purveyor to see if they produce a red.

I will be using all three at home. Thanks.

[cape chef]

From California the wines from the central coast produced by Mondavi,Beringers to name a couple are relitivly cheap yet have variatil charaterictics (sp?) Merlots,Cabs are great for cooking as are Chards and Sauvignon and fume's as for a sherry I us a dry sherry call Tio Pepe It is not under $10 however. The only sherries I know at that range are your taylor ect.
Happy cooking Jesse
cc

[shroomgirl]

Jesse I use Vendage...cheap and ok to cook with...chardonney
Fume for fish...whatever is a good price and not gross.
I really don't use sherry but I do use alot of Maderia (it's that sweet tooth)
Marsala too
Cab or Shiraz or Merlot I really like Rosemont $6-7 range and I drink the blends...Shiraz/Cab is good....makes a good potroast.

[m brown]

when cooking and baking i like to use the house type wines. something in a big bottle that is 7 or 9 dollars tops: look to chile, south africa and australia for the bargins on good to great wines. as far as sweet, there is a port called clocktower, it is under 10 dollars a bottle and is quite wonderful.