Using Wine in Your Cooking...

Any meat recipe can benefit from adding wine to the recipe. Where ever a recipe calls for water, you can replace it (up to 1/4 cup per pound of meat) with red or white wine. Use red wines for lamb or beef and white wines for pork, chicken or fish.

You can use wine marinades or wine butter sauces and a bit of sherry can spice up most desserts and appetizers. Use the chart below to help you choose the right wine for the right dish.

Appetizer Wines: Sherries have a nutty flavor and are dry to semi-sweet while Vermouth is more aromatic and herb flavored. It can be dry or sweet.

Red Table Wines: These are dry and slightly tart and blend well with stick-to-your ribs-dishes. They are light to ruby red in color and are great for steaks, roasts, and even Italian pasta dishes. They include Clarets, Burgundies, Cabernets,  Zinfandels, and Pinot Noirs.

White Table Wines: These wines can be anywhere from very dry to semi-sweet and from light amber to deep gold in color. They enhance chicken and fish dishes and include Chablis, Riesling, Semillon, Sauterne and Rhine Wines. Always serve well chilled.

Dessert Wines: These are heavy wines that are sweet including Ports, Tokay, Angelica and Muscatel. They are deep red except for the amber Muscatel. They add that little something extra to nuts, fruits and desserts.

Sparkling Wines: Bubbly, white, gold or pink--Champagne goes with everything at almost anytime. Well-chilled, served in glasses that allow the bubbles to rise to the top, it adds to appetizers, main courses or desserts. Sparkling Burgundy is red, adding to the festivities--but none of them are what you would cook with. This is a drinking and toasting only beverage.