I’m not a wine drinker. I recognize the names and know usually whether they are red or white and that’s about it. I do however like to cook with it. Is there any particular type of wine which is well-suited to use as a ‘pantry staple’? I’d like to just keep a bottle on hand and then only go get a specific type if the recipe really requires it.
Red: Cabernet Sauvignon is a good all-around cooking wine. Look for something in the $5 or so range, from Spain or Australia.
White: Sauvignon Blanc is my go-to all purpose white cooking wine. Pinot Grigio works well, too. Once again, spend $5 or so.
Store them in the fridge once opened. They’ll last for a few months there. If you store them in the cupboard, they go to vinegar pretty quick.
I had no idea it would last that long. Thanks for the input.
Bless you for not thinking about buying “cooking wine.” Nastier stuff has rarely been invented.
If you want to splurge a little, you can get locking stoppers to re-seal the bottles with. They’re a dollar or two at a wine shop or cookwares store. Otherwise, just re-cork.
I received one of those as a gift, works great. My close-eyes-and-pick method of wine shopping wasn’t very good at putting the right bottles under it though 
Buy cooking wine in mini-packs. I can get 4-packs of Sutter Home Cab and Chard at Bevmo. That way you don’t have to open a big bottle when all you need is a splash.
The latest issue of Gourmet had a taste-test on cheap vs moderately-priced wines in cooking. The results were a tie. Half the panel preferred the dish using the $20 wine, half preferred the one using the bottle that cost $5. Your call, it seems.
Quality wine, like any other ingredient, improves the taste of the overall dish proportionally. But like any other ingredient, most of us don’t want to spend $20 for one single ingredient unless it’s a special occasion.
Great idea on the single bottles! I hadn’t thought of that. I almost always have “leftover” bits of wine around, so I don’t really buy bottles specifically for cooking. But the singles definitely make sense for people who don’t necessarily drink wine.
Any modestly priced table wine will do. A cheap bottle of Gallo Burgundy or Chablis works just fine. The cooking “wine” on your grocery shelf is the stuff to steer clear of. It’s more suited to salad dressing.
I find that an inexpensive bottle of White Zinfindel works pretty well for cooking purposes.
I will share my great find with everyone here. Beaulieu Vineyards has a jug brand called Century Cellars and it comes in 1.5 liter size. The Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $10 to 14 dollars a bottle. It is an excellent drinking wine and also good for cooking.
I like to buy a nice bottle of wine or two for dinner one night. Whatever doesn’t get drunk gets frozen in an ice cube tray over night. I pop the cubes out, and store in a plastic zip bag in the freezer next to my herb cubes. I pop a cube or two in any time I need it. It saves on storage, and allows me to use just as nice wine to cook with as I do drink without worrying about a whole bottle of wine turning bad because I wanted to cook with it too!
Really? White Zinfandel is excessively sweet. Most recipes call for dry white wine, not sweet. I can’t quite get my head around a sauce for, say, fish, made with something as sweet as white zin.
Another good idea is to buy one (or two) of the boxed wines (one white, one red) - the wine inside is sealed within a plastic container, and air contact is minimized, so it’ll stay good for a long time. They’re fairly inexpensive, too, easy to measure (just stick your measuring cup under the pour spout), and can live either in a cabinet or in your fridge. They contain quite a lot, though, something like four bottles’ worth, so they might not be the best choice if you only cook with wine infrequently.
Boxed wines are slowly getting over the “cheap” stigma, as well - some of these are quite good, and I’d not feel bad about serving them as well as cooking with them.
Don’t cook with wine you wouldn’t drink- a lot of “cooking wines” have salt in them and taste gacky.
OTOH, you needn’t use expensive. Most uses require reduction anyway. The pantry has a dry white and a more robust red, in gallon glass. Stored at room temperature, using the vacuum type of sealed stopper. Geekier types might use a CO2 purge, something a homebrewer often has excess of.
Just wanted to emphasize this point. Most US grocery stores stock things called “cooking wine” or “cooking sherry” near the vinegars and such stuff, but they are VERY SALTY. I had thought this was required by law in states where drinkable alcohol, or alcohol above a certain proof at least, can’t be sold in groceries. Wikipedia, however, says the salt is a preservative, which makes sense. Maybe both are true.
We keep some salty cooking sherry in the cupboard, and if all you need is a tablespoon on short notice, I think it tastes fine – so long as you remember to leave out all other sources of salt! (Beef bouillon is the one I usually forget.)
I like this idea a lot. I have a whole bunch of ice cube trays currently holding baby food which will soon be available for other uses.
One wonders how one would end up with leftover wine to store…
My rule of thumb when deciding what wine to use in cooking is simple: If I wouldn’t drink it, I won’t put it in the food
That’s me too. I don’t buy wine to cook with, I buy wine to drink. If I use some of it for cooking I’ll usually drink the rest. I find that I really like drinking a wine with dinner that I’ve used in the preparation of the dinner. A natural pairing of flavors.
Leftover wine in my house never lasts 24 hours.
But I think, if you’re not a wine drinker, the 4 pack idea is great. I am not at all sure you’re going to taste the difference between a 5 dollar wine and a 15 dollar wine in a dish.
Yup.
I don’t usually cook fish, I use a splash in stir fry, when making chicken and in spagetti sauce.