What wine to cook with?

Stews, casseroles, roasts, and countless dishes have wine added to improve their flavour. But adding wine to marinades, broths, and sauces doesn't stop only with savoury dishes. When it comes to desserts, the list of recipes in which sweet and fortified wines are an integral part is vast. But should we pay attention to the wine we use in cooking, or is it enough to open the fridge and use a leftover bottle of wine from a meal? Or should we buy the cheapest bottle we can find so as not to "waste" more expensive wine?

In our opinion, if there was a rule, the one we would apply is " if it is not good to drink, it is not good to cook either". That does not mean, of course, that you should use your best wine for cooking. We don't think that would make sense because it probably wouldn't improve the taste of the dish that much. But there are always some good tips that you can use sensibly and rationally.

When cooked, the wine's alcohol evaporates, its sugars become more concentrated, and its jammy flavours and aromatic compounds, although more subtly, are transferred to the dish.

Remember that the best wine to use will always be the one that best matches your dish. So, if your cook only needs a small amount of wine, it is well worth opening the bottle you have chosen for the meal. For dishes such as fish-rice or risotto may only need a glass of wine, and that glass may make the difference.

If you have leftover wines, it is ok to use them in food, but avoid full-bodied wines with high tannin content and wines with a marked barrel.

When reduced, full-bodied, tannic wines can leave a bitter taste, and their more pronounced flavours can overwhelm the taste of your cooking. A wine with marked barrels can also give an unwanted bitterness.

Although medium-dry or sweet-style table wine is not very common in Portugal, you must know that they are also not recommended in cooking. The sugar content of these wines is higher their reduction may become too caramelised and affect the dish's flavour.

Contrary to tannins, the acidity of the wine is very friendly to cooking. It allows balancing and giving freshness to the rich flavours of your cook. So, if your dish needs white wine, you don't have to worry about its acidity. It is always welcome.

And to preserve the wine leftovers that sometimes get forgotten, a trick is to freeze them into cubes to be used later. You already know you should avoid wines with high tannin content, barrel flavours or a lot of residual sugar. Thus, in addition to preserving these wines, you are already selecting the best adapted to gastronomy.

And to preserve the wine leftovers that sometimes get forgotten, a trick is to freeze them into cubes to be used later. You already know you should avoid wines with high tannin content, barrel flavours or a lot of residual sugar. Thus, in addition to preserving these wines, you are Fortified wines, such as Port, Madeira, Sherry, or Marsala, can also be part of savoury dishes. French cuisine has several classic recipes with fortified wines. Adding these wines to cooking brings complexity, depth and different levels of flavour. Each style of wine is different and gives a specific flavour profile. It can range from smoky to caramel. These wines are less versatile for gastronomy, but if used well can add a lot of flavour to your dish without too much work. And, once opened, these wines tend to last quite a long time.already selecting the best adapted to gastronomy.

Make your own experiences. You will see you look differently at the wines you add to your cooking.