Cooking with Wine

• Never use poor-quality wine. If you wouldn't drink it, don't pour it into the pan. A poor quality wine with sour or bitter flavors will contribute those flavors to the dish.
• Never use cooking "sherry" or other cooking wines. These so-called wines are horrible tasting, cheap, thin base wines to which salt and food coloring have been added.
• If a recipe calls for a dry white wine, most whites from around the world will work but, among American wines, the best and easiest choice is a good-quality Sauvignon Blanc moderately priced. It has a fresh, light herbal note which works well for a wide variety of dishes.
• If the dish has bold or spicy flavors, try a white wine that's powerfully fruity and aromatic. Gewurztraminer, Riesling, and Viognier can all have dynamic, exotic floral and fruity flavors and aromas.
• If the recipe calls for dry red wine, think about the heartiness of the dish. A rustic, long-cooked casserole or a substantial beef stew needs a correspondingly hearty wine. Use a big-bodied red Zinfandel or Petite Sirah, both of which are also packed with fruit flavor.
• When you can, match the wine's flavor to the food's flavor. If you sautee mushrooms don't be afraid to throw in some Pinot Noir, which like mushrooms, has an earthy flavor.
• Don't pass up Port, Madeira, Marsala, and the nutty styles of Sherry, such as amontillado. All four are fortified, which means they have slightly more alcohol, but they all pack a bigger wallop of flavor too. Plus, opened, they can be used for cooking for several months or more. Be sure to use the real thing (Port from Portugal and Sherry from Spain). Port has a rich, sweet, winey flavor which is a real plus in meat casseroles. Styles like ruby Port and late bottled vintage Port give the most flavor for the lowest cost. Sherry's complex nutty flavors can transform just about any soup, stew, or sauteed dish; use amontillado or even the richer oloroso. Madeira can be mesmerizingly lush, with toffee and caramel flavors; use the medium-rich style known as bual. And Marsala's light caramel-like fruitiness is incomparable in Mediterranean sautes.