All About Cooking with Wine and Spirits Return to the Spices Main Menu for More Information The first and most important rule of thumb is: cook only with a wine you would drink. Avoid at all cost the so-called 'cooking wine' located in the supermarket near the vinegar which is generally closer to tasting like wine vinegar, and often contains salt and other additives. A little sweet red wine for the pork loin, a tablespoon of dark rum in the chocolate pudding... ah, there's little doubt that alcohol, with its unique nuances in flavor, adds richness and depth to many foods. Alcohol also dissolves and carries the flavors of other ingredients, and its acids help tenderize meat and poultry. What Happens to Alcohol, Does it All Disappear? In general, the longer the cooking time, the less the amount of alcohol that remains. Alcohol’s boiling point is lower than that of water, and many cooks assume that little or none of its potency remains after cooking. Research tells a different story. Cooked food can retain from 5 to 85 percent of the original alcohol. The amount of alcohol left depends on how the dish is prepared, when the alcohol is added, and how thoroughly it’s incorporated with other ingredients. Fast methods of cooking, such as flambéing, leave about 75 percent of the alcohol in the food. In contrast, a dish that has been cooked for fifteen minutes contains about 40 percent of the original alcohol. After two hours of cooking, roughly only 10 percent of the alcohol remains. Typically, in a recipe that serves 4, you may add 1/2 to 1 cup of wine. That is equal to approximately 1/2 to 1 glass if you were to drink it. Once you begin to cook the recipe some, or most of the alcohol evaporates. When finished, the recipe will be divided among 4 people so the actual amount of alcohol consumed per person is very small. If you wish to avoid all alcohol in cooking, there are substitutes, but they don’t contribute the same depth of flavors as good liqueurs and wines. Use 7/8 cup of meat or vegetable broth, or apple, tomato, or white grape juice for each cup of wine used in a recipe. To mimic wine’s acidity, add 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or vinegar. In desserts, replace the wine with fruit juice plus a dash of balsamic vinegar. Also try frozen orange juice concentrate and add the grated zest of fresh orange instead of alcohol. How Long Can I Keep Wine Once The Bottle Is Opened? It is impossible to say precisely how long a bottle of wine will keep once opened, but once you open the wine,you can expect anywhere from a couple of days to a week. The more exposure to air, the quicker the wine will become oxidised. The wine in a half empty bottle will oxidise sooner than a bottle with just one glass poured out of it. An initial period of oxidation can allow a wine's flavors to bloom. This is the breathing period people speak of. But beyond that, you have a gradual deterioration that eventually results in the conversion of wine to acetic acid, or vinegar.  Keeping an opened bottle of wine on warm counter will accelerate the process, turning the wine into vinegar very quickly. While there is no way to stop wine from oxidizing, you can slow things down by keeping all wine — red, white and sparkling — stored in the your refrigerator after opening. Consider using some of those "box wines", they are air-tight so they can stay on the shelf or in the fridge without "turning". This is a good solution if you want a reasonably good tasting wine for the table as well as a handy source to use in cooking. top Freezing Wine for Storage Stuck with the remains left in an opened bottle? Try freezing it in 1 cup portions to use as needed. Wines should be frozen while fresh, shortly after the bottle has been opened, and not several days later. After having been frozen, the wine tastes just the same, if not better than before. Once having been frozen, do not re-freeze the wine. Remove the wine to thaw, it resembles a popsicle at this point,but the water and solids will separate. Not to worry, just shake up the bottle container to mix the sandy tartrates and restore the wine to its natural condition. Guidelines For Cooking Wines To Use In Cooking Never use poor-quality wine. If you wouldn't drink it, don't pour it in the stew. A wine with sour or bitter flavors will contribute those flavors to the dish.. Never use cheap,cooking sherry or any other so-called cooking wines. These wretched liquids are horrible-tasting,   to which salt and food coloring have been added. They make foods taste worse, not better. If a recipe calls for dry white wine, the best and easiest American choice is a Sauvignon Blanc, good in a dish highlighting herbs. This is a wine that is completely dry and has a fresh, light herbal tilt. If the dish has bold or spicy flavors, however, try a Gewurztraminer, or Riesling. They each have dynamic, exotic floral and fruity aromas and flavors, which create a fascinating counterbalance in a bold or spicy dish. If the recipe calls for dry red wine, think about the heartiness of the dish. A recipe for  lamb shanks or a substantial beef stew needs a correspondingly robust wine. Use a big-bodied red Zinfandel with a berry or cherry character, would be a nice with any robust dish. Less hearty dishes can take a less powerful red, such as a Merlot or a Chianti. Match wine flavor to food flavor. Sometimes the flavor of the dish will suggest a desirable flavor in a wine. When using  mushrooms, for example, I add a little Pinot Noir, which, like mushrooms, is earthy. Don't miss fortified wines like port, with a rich, sweet, deeply winey flavor - a must in meat casseroles. Sherry has a roasted, nutty flavor that can transform just about any soup, stew, or sauteed dish. Madeira, with its toffee-caramel flavors, can be bring ou the best in sauteed vegetable dishes and fruit. And marsala's light, caramel-like fruitiness is great in Mediterranean dishes