Posted by alex brooks on November 08, 1997 at 16:02:04:
In Reply to: cooking with wine posted by Lorri Royle on November 08, 1997 at 10:54:07:
: I've got a lot of recipies that call for x-dry white wine, or x-red
: wine. Can anyone suggest a good basic red or white wine for cooking?
There are a lot of opinions about this. Personal taste is an
important criteria. I like to cook with what I like to drink
and itis fun to be sipping it while putting it in your mixture.
Expense is another consideration...I learned: if you don't want to drink it, don't cook with it (although sometimes you have to)My favorites are Burgundy-type wines (usually in bottles shaped like champagne bottles). Grapes; Pinot Noir (red), Pinot
Blanc or Pinot Gris (whites) are my favorites, when designated.
From Italy, Chianti is a good red wine for cooking as is Pinot Grigio (Pinto Gris) as a white. These wines have full flavor but generally do not have strong aftertaste which could take over the
flavor of your recipe. California has MANY great wines that are
labeled with these names but often European wines are a better value.
My taste is to avoid grapes like Zinfandel, Muscat, Tokay, Gewurtztraminer or any German wines as they tend to be sweetish, although they are excellant in fruit compotes and with desserts.
I have even cooked with Gallo Hearty Burgundy (when visiting in Nebraska) and you CAN make it work and it's mighty inexpensive.
You just have to try differant types and see what you like.
I hope this helps.