Cooking Italian Dishes with Wine

Wine and Italian food go hand in hand, but not many of us are sure how to cook with wine. For starters, the wine that should be used is one that you would drink yourself. This does not have to be an expensive wine. Wines that are so called “cooking wines” are often not a good choice. This is because these types of wines have added salt and other spices that can ruin a perfectly good tomato sauce.

Instead, think of the wine that you are adding to an Italian dish as another spice or herb. Using this type of philosophy when cooking with wine can help enhance the dish, not ruin it with unwanted flavors. Flavors of the wine will generally mellow as the wine cooks down in food. The alcohol will also cook off and allows many of the wines undertones to really come through in an Italian dish. Dishes that are allowed to cook longer or at a higher heat will generally not have that strong alcohol taste that can sometimes ruin an Italian dish.

When cooking with red wines remember that they taste best when added to tomato sauces and dishes containing red meat. For instance, a spicy marinara sauce or a meat laden Bolognese would be enhanced with a bold red wine. By adding a red wine will give balance to the acidity of the tomatoes and bring out the earthy flavors of meat and mushrooms.

Cooking with a white wine will bring an acidic quality to the dish that it is added to. This can help strike a good balance when added to a cream based sauce such as an Alfredo sauce. White wine also adds that extra ‘wow’ factor when cooked with many Mediterranean seafood dishes. Fish and poultry dishes are enhanced with a splash of white wine. These types of dishes generally have a low acid content. This can mean the difference between boring and bland, to fantastic and fabulous.

Cooking with wine should not feel intimidating. Instead, have fun adding wine to an Italian dish and experiment. By incorporating wine into a dish can give it a unique character and a dimension of flavors that explode on the tongue. Wine can make many boring dishes come a live with a symphony of new flavors. So, instead of just drinking a glass of wine with an Italian meal, give that sauce some flare with wine.