Need help selecting wine to cook with

[Russellkhan]

BTW, it looks tasty.

But where's the starch?

 

[calicoolguy]

I ended up using some J.W. Morris Reisling, cheap yes but didnt want to blow more money on something i had no idea how it would come out.

The deglazing was no problem pretty simple. Over the last few days getting ready for this i watched/read alot about deglazing so felt somewhat comfortable with what i was going to do.

As far as an improvement... im not sure. Was my honest to god very first time having any food with wine so still on the fence about it. Something i think will get better at and improve the more i do it. Did i love it... no. Did i hate it... definently not. Im just so used to more of a spicy backyard mom and pop kind of cooking so cooking with wine is just a huge new area for me.

As for the starch part lol completly forgot to plate it when i took the pics and cam died right after but had a nice little rice side with it.

 

[Bigjim68]

IMHO, wine as an indredient adds a layer of flavor to most dishes. As for choices for dishes, many wine shop employees are very good cooks, and most know wines and food. For starters, take their advice. I generally use a wine in the 6-9 dollar range, and always taste the wine prior to using. My worst kitchen disaster had to do with making a wine sauce for a prime rib without first tasting the bottle. Always taste the wine and try to visualize what it will add to the result you are trying to accomplish. The wine should be one you would drink with the dish, not necessarily the one you will serve with the dish. My starting points: Sherry, not creme sherry, with any creme dish. Heavy cabs or cab blends with beef . Pork can handle spicier or slightly sweeter wines, white or red. Seafoods depend on the preparation. Sweeter wines with asian dishes. These are just starting points. The wine choice depends at least as much on the preparation as the ingredients. A grilled pork chop would be different from one prepared in a fruit sauce All these wines can be purchased reasonably. I would suggest you try tasting the wine at the table with the dish. You may enjoy it. Storing the leftover has never been a problem with me, but if it was, I would freeze if in ice cube trays and store in plastic bags. The absolute best advice, never buy a cooking wine.

 

[ChefJune]

Cabernets are generally not good for cooking with, especially when you are reducing, because most are too tannic. The tannins reduce along with the rest of the wine and make the dish bitter.

Better choices for red wine are Merlot, Beaujolais or Rhone Valley blends. Zinfandel (the red one) is good, too.

 

[Bigjim68]

I think that this comes down to personal taste and your ultimate goal. I always taste the wine prior to adding it, and try to picture the end result. It would be hard for me to cook with wine without tasting it. Kind of like adding pepper and garlic without having any idea what they taste like. I agree, tannins can get overpowering in reductions. Merlot is a good choice for me in beef oriented reductions. Zins to spicy, Beaujolais too thin, all generalizations.

 

[DramaQueen]

Cabernets are generally not good for cooking with, especially when you are reducing, because most are too tannic. The tannins reduce along with the rest of the wine and make the dish bitter.

Better choices for red wine are Merlot, Beaujolais or Rhone Valley blends. Zinfandel (the red one) is good, too.

You're right about that ChefJune. Cabernets tend to leave a bitter finish as does Chardonnay. I prefer Merlot and Red Zinfandel too.