Red and White Wine

Pretty much anything inexpensive that has a taste close to what you want. If you don't know what to get then you're kinda shooting in the dark, which is fine most of the time. You could even get a $2 Charles Shaw from Trader Joes to get started. 

 

I find that white wines are more forgiving than red. As long as a white one is not too sweet it should work for most applications. Whereas with red wines there are different tastes which may not work for your application.

 

I'm not a huge wine connoisseur, just reporting what I've experienced myself. 

For the most part I rarely use white wine for soups and sauces anymore.  Inexpensive dry vermouth is what I have on hand.  For dishes that call for red wine it can be a bit more troublesome.  But there are choices in the $5 a bottle range that can work well, you may need to buy a few bottles to try and keep notes on the flavors you like.

 

mjb.

 

 

TThat's pretty good advice.. What are the best ingredients youve ever added as a placebo?

 

 

AAir. 

Buying a bottle of even cheap wine for a dish that calls for a small amount is annoyingly wasteful if you don't like wine.  Either you have to do a week of menu planning calling for wine or you just end up throwing it out.  (Yes, i know, I do end up throwing out wine. Never was a big fan)

I'd like to know a substitute for red wine, but for white i just keep a bottle of DRY white vermouth - if it's not dry, which often cheap vermouth is not, then it fouls up the flavor of the dish, but it keeps forever and works fine. 

 

As far as i know, though, red vermouth is sweet, right?  What could be kept on hand for red?

 

I may have told this story before, but i was a guest of some friends whose family had an important vineyard and produced the famed Brunello di Montalcino.  I went to the supermarket with them one morning to get the stuff for the day and she picked up a three-pack of white wine in juice-box containers - each containing the equivalent of a glass of wine.  I said whaaat?!  she said they weren't crazy about wine, and this was convenient for cooking with and the wine they produced was only red.  In fact, though they had crates of wine around they didn;t drink it and usually forgot to put it out. 

 

But even there, i've seen the white wine in these little containers but not the red. 

If we've had wine with dinner and there's a little left in the bottle, I decant it into icecube trays (or plastic ice-cube bags, which are more convenient to store) and freeze it.  Then I've always got the small amount of wine that some recipes require.  I don't find it changes the taste of the dish to use frozen wine - however, I wouldn't use wine-cubes for a dish which calls for half a bottle or more!

 

 

Having read this advice on this forum once, i tried it.  The wine never totally froze (alcohol = antifreeze i guess) and made a mess in the freezer!

Hmmm - whilst the resulting ice cubes appear 'grainy' they freeze for me!

Wine reduction. No alcohol. Even the simplest wine reduction sauce will freeze ok.

I just adore my "Three Buck Chuck" Shiraz (a red wine), Pinot Grigio (white), and my Mother likes the Savignon Blanc (another white wine). Though I have not tried freezing the leftovers to cook with, as I DO like wine to drink as well as cook with. I have found that dry vermouth has a very different flavor profile in a recipe. I do like to use it when I prepare my fish en papillote, my husband is not a wino as I have inherited from my Mom ...

I too keep some dry white vermouth on hand for cooking.  When I want actual wine for certain dishes I often use these half liter cartons of wine from Vendage, I think it is.  Here in Utah they come in a cab, a chard and a pinot grigio.  Don't use the chard much, mostly the other two.  You crack them open, pour off what you need for the recipe and then stash the rest in the fridge for the next time.  Or drink it, your choice.  Not the greatest wine, not the worst, but at a few bucks a carton a good value that serves a need.

 

mjb.

 

 

Though I do enjoy a nice glass of wine (or 2) from time to time, don't often have it available.  I bought mini six-pack of a white and red... Sutter Home.  Not big on metrics, but 187 ml bottles... maybe hefty half cup... or more.  Works for me.

 

Yeah I agree, I only really cook with white, I'm not confident on reds.

I tend to follow the rule that you shouldn't use a wine to cook that you would not drink.  Generally for me that means wines in the $10.00 price range.  I have a problem using better wines for cooking, as I feel there is little difference in cooked taste.  For whites I use either dry vermouth or dry sherry.  Both keep well in the refrigerator.  I don't do much at all with white wines, including drinking.

 

For reds, I have begun to use Argentina and Chile reds.  Malbecs and Carmineires do a good job and are not too expensive. 

 

Wines are put up in small bottles, either half bottles or the airline size.  If I did not enjoy wines, I would look for them.  They can be sometimes hard to find, and most are not exactly vintage Bordeaux.

 

 

Although I use dry Vermouth a lot, it's really not a straight-across substitute for white wine because Vermouth is so herbaceous.

Considering you live in Italy this shouldn't be much of a challenge for you Siduri. Any number of "table wines," white or red are fine. The "right" choice for cooking any particular dish depends on the character of the dish, and will be related to the type of wine you'd serve with it.

And, if you can't use it all before they go south... just throw them away and consider it the cost of doing business.

BDL

As a non-drinker, I've taken to picking up .5 liter boxed wines in red and white. They've been reasonable priced, easy to store, reduced waste and so on. Been happy with the Vendange I've used this way.

I admit, PBS supporters were part of my decision making...

 

I'm confused.  The Malbecs and Carmeneries I buy are reds.  I would not use a white with any beef, lame, or veal, recipe, except maybe picatta.

 

And it is nice when they are on sale for $1.99 instead of $3.99 here in Salt Lake.

 

mjb.

 

No confusion. Malbec and Carménère are both red wines. Malbec is promoted as the insignia wine of Argentina (i do not agree; the best wines of Argentina are blends and/or Cabernet Sauvignon). Carménère from Chile is excelent and peculiar. Casillero del Diablo, year 2007, i remember as a superb wine. It's curious, but many times you can get those wines in USA or Europe at a better price than in the original countries.