Wine Substitutions in Cooking | Yankee Kitchen

A lot of recipes call for wine — “red wine,” “port wine,” “white wine.” what kind do I buy? Must I go to the liquor store or can I get it at the grocery? Are there wine substitutions that can be used in cooking? Red and white wines have flavors different from each other and different from port, sherry, and Madeira, all of which are fortified wines, usually sweet and always containing a higher alcohol content than the ordinary kind. You can buy wine wherever it is sold, but do not buy the “cooking wine” offered in grocery stores. It has been heavily salted, is expensive, and tastes terrible. Wine substitutions are often possible, but wine is used so many ways there’s no general rule. Fruit juice often works in dessert recipes. A mild wine vinegar will do when only a splash or two is needed, as when you are making a pan sauce for meat. Ordinary table wines do not keep after they have been opened. If you don’t plan to use wine often and alcohol is okay, consider investing in a bottle of dry vermouth. This herb-infused, fortified wine is not at all sweet and can be used in a savory recipe that calls for a cup or less of white wine. If you store it in the refrigerator, it will stay usable for several months.  

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