Wine Recipe

How do I choose wine for a recipe?

I’m always so intimidated when I see the huge selection. Are there basic things to know or look for on the label? For example, if I need dry White Wine for a mushroom soup recipe, how will I know which bottle is better than another? What makes one $15 bottle better than some other $15 bottle?

Great questions. Don’t normally answer too many of these questions, because it would seem to me that I would only confuse you and others more.

But you gotta take most of these answers with a huge, nay, pillar of salt. Some of the info is just odd. One of the answers suggested that Sancerre, Pouilly Fume and Chablis are Italian. Wow (they are French). And most tannic wines are not Cabernet Sauvignon grape based. Cab wines do have a lot of tannins but so do Nebbiolo and bunch of other dark (red) grapes. Heck, on another post, an answerer recommended Sauterne (sweet, sweet) as dry and crisp for someone looking for a very, dry white wine. So, take all this, along with my answer with a huge grain of salt.

That said, for cooking, I used to use a decent bottle of wine from my tiny collection. Nice Barbara d’Alba for making red sauces or a rich Poully Fuisse for cream sauce. No more. Broke and on a budget.

You ask 3 different questions. The first is basics of wine and labels and what’s what. Grab basic book like, wine for dummies, than read up. Going to a wine shop could be a good experience if you get a knowledgeable clerk or a bad one if the clerk’s a jerk. Labels basically tell you the grape in the bottle, alcohol content, vintage, etc. You can tell whether the wine is dry or sweet or taste profile based on the label info, but not whether you’re going to like it or not. It can be intimating, so, start with a book like, wine for dummies, and do a basic beginners course before venturing out into the World Of Wine.

2nd, cooking with wine. Not sure its necessary to any recipe, not being a professional cook. Example, make a mushroom sauce.. Use a can of creamed mushroom, ½ of milk, and ½ cup of white wine (say Carlo Rossi Chablis). Make another with the can, ½ of milk and 1/3 of cup of chicken broth. Would the different be worth the aggravation of trying to determine which and what wine to use?

Of course I use wine, but I’m a wine nerd. I (reference broke/budget comment earlier) use simple quaffing wines for cooking now. Carlo Rossi Chablis has the basic white taste profile that’s fine with me. Good acidity, little bit of apples and pears in the background, pretty balanced for wine that’s only a few bucks. Plus the screw top’s nice for keeping a couple of weeks. That’s what you’re looking for, wines that have good acidity and good balance. Again, its better for you to do your own research, so you have the base of knowing what wines and grapes have good acidity before venturing out.

Sure, using a 20 dollar bottle of Pouilly Fussie will you give a richer sauce, but it’s a trade off.

So, how and what makes 15 dollar bottle better than another. Nothing. One could be junk. It’s the economics of grape growing, the winemaker and supply chain that got it to shelf. That said, most wines in the 15 dollar range are good. Again, research the taste profiles before venturing out. It’ll give you a good base to start.

A good place to start is a proprietor’s blend. Example would be a Gallo Hearty Burgundy. Over the years, a whole bunch of folks on a budget drank this wine and got their start. Good balance, soft tannins, little bit of dark fruit, not bad.

Anyways, that’s my 2 cents on a subject that takes a lifetime to learn. But, if you do start, this is a great world to be a part of.

Good Luck

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