I've come across many holiday recipes that call for a good red wine. What are some good wines to use while cooking?

I'm a Certified Sommelier which means that my job is about matching food to wine. The person who wrote the second reply to your question is correct. So-called cooking wines are not good and it is advisable (as your recipe calls for) to use a good red wine.

Generally, for both chicken and pork I would go with a Burgundy or a Pinot Noir (same grape as Burgundy from France) from a cooler climate such New Zealand or Sonoma, CA. Red Bordeaux from France (same grape as Cabernet Sauvignon) matches well with lamb and beef, esp. Short ribs and the like.

For your Bar-B-Q sauce, go with a California Zinfandel from Amador or Sonoma Counties. Chianti or Amarone from Italy work well tomato-based Italian sauces. Although, I understand that some might find it satisfactory .

For cooking, I would not recommend Beaujolais, most of which is produced using a different method called called carbonic maceration which often results in a bubble-gum aroma and/or flavor. So leave the Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau for drinking. I love the new-style red Rioja wines coming out of Spain As I have not personally tried cooking with them I cannot speak from personal experience but I know that they would also work in many recipes (although I'd rather drink Riojas at this point).

One neat trick that will help your budget in these difficult economic times is to cook with a bottle of appropriate red that has been open a day or two and is still "good". You use up all of your wine and have a beautiful dish to serve family and friends as well. There is no rule that says that you must drink the same red wine as the one you used in your recipe - although many people do.

Enjoy your holidays...and remember that cooking, entertaining and sharing wine with others should be FUN!

Cooking" wine is crap you don't want to cook with it, ever. I usually use a decent but inexpensive beaujolais or burgundy if the dish calls for a lot of wine, such as boeuf bourguignon. Mid-grade and higher wines are overkill for cooking, save them for the table.

Try a Jadot burgundy or beaujolais - any wine merchant should carry it.

Good red wines usually consist of a full bodied dry red wine, these are minimally sweet and have quite a bit of bite, which gives the kick to foods. I like chianti and dry pinot noir for foods. If you want to look up some particular good wines (since not all wines in the same class are created equal) I would recommend snooth.com which is a great social wine rating site.

Dry chardonnays are excellent for white meats and light sauces.

The best wine to use for cooking would be white or red wine. Use Sauvignon Blanc as a white wine for sauteing, marinating, and in sauces for seafood, and chicken. Cabernet Sauvignon or Chianti is also great for for meats and meat based sauces.

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