So, you’ve learned a bit about cooking with wine in our first article Cooking with Wine: Expert Advice on What to Use (Part 1), and now want to try it out with some different techniques? We can help with that! Read on for some tips on what types of wines to use while using different cooking techniques and drop by your local wine and liquor store to find something that will help elevate your meals to expert level. 

Marinating with Wine

The goal of a marinate is to penetrate the interior tissue of your meat and give it that extra oomph of flavor. Using wine as your acid in the marinade will help add some complexity to the meat. For marinating beef, a nice medium-bodied dry red like a cabernet sauvignon or merlot will definitely help do the trick. You can also get creative with your marinades and try out something like a rosé marinated leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary. 

Roasting with Wine

If you plan on roasting some vegetables or meat, a splash of wine will help with both bringing up the flavor as well as creating a moist and hot environment. If you’ve got hearty meat like lamb, or darker vegetables then a bold wine will work well. Lighter wine will be the perfect pairing for pale vegetables like squash or brussels sprouts and chicken. Wine will also help keep roasted veggies like beets moist and delicious.

Braising with Wine

The process of braising involves cooking to quickly brown food and then slow cooking while continuously adding liquid. Cooking using this method helps turn tougher meat into something tender and richer. The method can also be used for vegetables that have fibrous stalks. When using wine for a braise, rich and nutty flavor profiles work perfectly. This means that fortified wines such as port and sherry can add great flavor and depth to the braised meat and vegetables.  

Steaming with Wine

No one likes soggy steamed vegetables, and luckily steaming with wine is the perfect cure for this. Using wine as opposed to water enhances whatever is being steamed with a massive amount of flavor. When steaming, using full-bodied whites or rice wines works best as they pack a massive flavor punch without the bitterness of tannins that accompany red wine. 

Baking with Wine

If baking is more your speed and you’re looking for a way to enhance the moistness and texture of your baked goods, using wine will do so while also helping to bring forward some fruity flavors. Sparkling wine is often used in baking as the aeration from the bubbles helps create a lighter cake texture along with having some added acidity for tartness. You can also use wine as the poaching liquid for fruits like oranges and rhubarb to stew and create a delicious texture.

Get Started and Shop Our Wine and Liquor Store Selection Today

Instead of running to your local wine and liquor store for your next bottle, come check out all of the amazing selections we have to offer at Rollers Wine & Spirits! We are experts in the beverage service industry, and can deliver straight to your door whatever delicious wines you’d like to experiment with in your next cooking adventure!