cooking with spirit

by Annie Cunningham

So you've made the decision to add wine to your cooking repertoire. But which one to use? The first and most important rule of thumb is cook only with a wine you would drink. You don’t have to go out and buy the most expensive wine out there, but if the wine is OK to drink, it's OK to cook with. Many of the culinary Web sites suggest you avoid “cooking wines” at all costs.

To start, use a mainstream white and/or red to cook with, such as a Chardonnay or Merlot. As you get more accustomed to using wine in your creations, you can start to play around with which wine you want to use. For example, a Sauvignon Blanc, known for its herbaceous quality, would go great in a dish highlighting herbs. Zinfandels have a berry or cherry character, which would be a nice background to a fruit sauce. The more you learn about the characteristics of your favorite wines, the more creative you can be in how you cook with them.

If you’re concerned with alcohol content in your food, you can determine the amount by the cooking methods you use. It depends greatly on when you add the wine and what you do after. The alcohol in wine evaporates at 178 degrees. Water boils at 212 degrees. Unfortunately, as the amount of alcohol decreases in proportion to the water, less alcohol evaporates. Suffice it to say, depending on how much you let the wine reduce (and if other liquid is present), 0 to 60 percent of the alcohol could still remain. Extended cooking time also will decrease the amount of alcohol.

There is a class of wines that don't fall into the red or white category. These are fortified wines such as sherry, port and vermouth. They are called fortified because extra alcohol has been added to the wine before a very long aging. This extra alcohol helps in the preservation of the wine and helps develop some of the complexities through the increased aging. Each of these wines has individual categories that range from delicate and dry to sweet. These wines, because of their increased aging, develop intense flavors. Some sherries have a nut-like quality from the aging. Ports can be sweet, and good for fruit dishes or desserts. Vermouth differs in that assorted herbs and spices have been steeped in the wine, giving it a very unique flavor. A dry vermouth would be good in place of a white wine. A sweet vermouth would be a great addition to a fruit dessert that has a hint of herbs in it.

Perhaps you will find your favorite wine is produced right here in Ohio. You can buy Ohio-made wines at local grocery stores, vineyards or specialty stores.

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