Add a Splash of Wine for Flavour

Cooking with wine is one of the best ways to add flavour and balance to a dish. Along with salt and pepper it is the most versatile ingredients in the kitchen.

The reason wine is added or used in cooking is to enhance the dish without using extra salt or fat, and to add an extra dimension of flavour. The good news for people with a low tolerance for sulphites is that simmering removes sulphites from wine. Wine is used as a marinade or as a cooking liquid but beware of cooking wines sold in supermarkets, they contain a high amount of salt and other additives you may not want in your dish. Do not add wine to a dish at the end of the cooking process, it needs to cook at least 5 to 10 minutes to blend into the dish, otherwise the wines’ strong flavour will overwhelm the recipe. The only exception to this rule is fortified wines such as Brandy and Marsala which are added to at the end of the cooking process and finish the recipe.

The general rule to use when purchasing wine for cooking is don’t add anything that you would not drink by itself. Inexpensive, poorly made wine will not help in adding flavour to a recipe, it is better not to use any at all. That doesn’t mean that you have to buy an expensive bottle, a well thought out fifteen dollar bottle will work out nicely, and you can drink a glass while cooking or enjoy it with your meal.

Dry white wines are generally used for cream and cheese sauces or poultry and fish dishes. Reds are used for brown sauces and red meat recipes.

When the recipe calls for a dry red wine consider a Malbec or Merlot for full flavoured, longer simmering dishes. To deglaze a pan or for pasta sauces look to lighter styles of wine. I love cooking with Chianti from Italy, it brings pasta sauces to life.

Fortified wines are a great way to add intense and bold flavours to your sauces. They have a longer shelf life than table wines but make sure that they are still sound before adding them to your recipe. Many are available in half sized bottles, ideal for cooking. Meat based casseroles and slow cookers are making a comeback and Ports are perfect for these types of foods. Use an authentic dry Sherry when sautéing or adding to stews.

One of my favourite recipes is pan frying shrimp in butter and a splash of olive oil and garlic and then adding some dry sherry and sea salt, it takes less than five minutes and the results will impress your guests. Experiment and create your own recipe and use for wine in the kitchen and I’m sure you will agree that wine adds a certain punch to dishes.