20 Recipes To Cook Using Red Wine (2024)

FAQs

What to use red wine for in cooking? ›

Add red wine to casseroles, steaks and sauces and you'll be rewarded with a deliciously rich flavour. See our range of top-rated red wine recipes.

While red or white wine is known to benefit soup, stew, sauce and a braise, either can also be used as a poaching liquid for eggs or fish. You can also use it to steam shellfish and cook pasta.

Wine can help cook and simmer foods.

Add wine to dishes you're cooking in a skillet on the stove, in a slow cooker, or in the oven. Simmered along with the food, it adds flavor and moisture to whatever dish you're making.

Multi-ingredient beef dishes such as a beef stew or a beef bourguignon are best cooked with a medium red, such as Zinfandel or Côtes du Rhône. Leaner red meats like lamb and venison require a lighter red wine. Lamb needs a wine with smoother tannins, so Shiraz or Malbec are both good medium-bodied options to use here.

The truth is that you can use old wine for cooking a variety of dishes. Whether you use red or white wine doesn't matter. You can cook with wine for up to two months or longer after the bottle has been opened. Even if the wine you use for cooking is unfit for drinking.

Cabernet Sauvignon: Cabernet Sauvignon is a bold and robust red wine variety that adds complexity and depth to a range of dishes. This wine pairs exceptionally well with red meat-based dishes, stews, and hearty sauces, imparting a rich and luxurious taste to your creations.

Steak, lamb and other red meat

A rich cut such as Wagyu rib-eye will pair beautifully with a bold and high tannin red wine such as Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon. For meats with more delicate texture and flavour like eye fillet or lamb, choose a red wine with finer tannins, such as Malbec or Pinot Noir.

Cooking with wine is a great way to incorporate its health benefits into your diet. Adding a splash of red wine to your tomato-based pasta sauce, or using white wine to deglaze a pan while cooking chicken, can add a depth of flavor to your dishes and offer potential health benefits.

What is red wine used for in cooking? ›

Rich stews, amazing sauces, and even desserts can be enhanced with a bit of Pinot Noir, Burgundy, or whatever red wine you have on hand. To deglaze a pan, tenderize meat, or build flavor and depth into a dish, any standard red wine can do the trick.

Red wine gives the sauce added richness and robustness, while white wine imparts a fruity flavor. Incorporate the wine early in the cooking process, just after the vegetables have softened. Then, let the wine cook down and reduce almost all the way.

A half cup or less, cooked down for a few minutes, adds great complexity. Use dry versions for savory dishes and keep the sweet varieties for a boozy dessert. You can also use wine as a substitute for other ingredients. A splash of white wine can substitute for acidic ingredients like lemon juice.

Keep an eye on the clock, and add wine to your dish while it's still cooking to remove some of the alcohol content and soften the tannins. For long-simmering stews, braises, and sauces, add the wine as soon as the liquid starts simmering and after the other ingredients have been browned.

Generally, an opened bottle of red wine can last for up to 5 days if stored properly in a cool and dark place with a wine stopper or cork in place to prevent excess oxygen from getting in. For white wine, it can last for up to 3 days under the same storage conditions.