A splash of red wine in your dish can add aromas to sauces and marinades, tenderize meat to fall-apart glory and deglaze a pan beautifully. And who doesn’t love sipping a glass while cooking a hearty meal for friends?
Though most people tend to grab the closest bottle around, carefully considering a wine’s flavor profile is more important than many believe. Wine writer Wanda Mann, the East Coast editor of the Somm Journal, explains that “cooking with wine burns off the alcohol, but the beautiful fruit essence of the wine remains behind.” Once the alcohol has evaporated (in just a few minutes), “the wine’s dominant fruit flavors become more concentrated and enhance what you’re cooking,” she adds. This is why it’s wise to select the right bottle for the right dish.
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Austin Bridges, Wine Director at Nostrana in Portland, Oregon, chooses “wines that boast a clean and pure profile, ideally without oak influence—unless it’s neutral oak and/or integrated—to preserve that bright, fresh essence,” he says. “Opting for wines fermented in stainless steel or concrete tanks allows the fruit’s primary characteristics to shine through unadulterated.”
Feeling daunted? Don’t. To help you figure out the best red wine for cooking, we asked the pros to walk us through the ins and outs.
Start With Wine You Like to Drink
Because heat concentrates a wine’s flavors, it’s ideal to look for flavors you find delicious. “My
This Article was originally published on Wine Enthusiast
