What's a good red wine for cooking?

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I second Box Wine. Since no air gets to the bulk of the wine after you tap out a few cups, it won't go bad. The wine I cook with and drink is the Box Wines by Peter Vella. I cook with the Cabernet and Chardonnay. Both are full bodied and Fruity. They don't get lost in the food nor over power it. However, my Wife likes her wine a bit sweeter, Peter Vella has two blended wines, Delicious Red and Delicious White that are more palatable to folks that don't care for bone dry varietals. The Delicious Red works fine in bold sauces that can use the sweetness, like Spaghetti Sauce but, the Delicious White is too sweet for delicate Butter Sauces on stuff like Seafood. Give them a try, not expensive and keep indefinitely after opening...JJ

Did you look in my fridge????? Red wine is the secret ingredient in my wife spaghetti sauce and ......wait for it chili!

I use to buy the mini bottles by the 4 pack but but prefer the box. I still take the minis to use cooking when camping though.....
 
Um, hmm. At the risk of sounding like a wine snob (I have about 400 bottles in my cellar), if you are making a beef bourguignon, then pinot noir or a Burgundy is the traditional accompaniment. (They are actually the same thing. We in the States refer to the varietal, and the Europeans refer to the region.) A good wine should not have a vinegar taste.
For any other beef stew, any cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, or a blend of these would do. You can find many decent CA bottles for under $10 a bottle in the supermarket. I am partial to WA wines, so Columbia Crest Grand Estates can be found most places, and is a particularly good one at that price point. You would probably not have to worry about storing any leftovers, as the chef will usually be enjoying the rest while cooking. (At least, I do.)
 
Thanks for everyone's responses.

After reading everyone's advice I started researching wines to cook with, and ran across a review on cooking with wine. They rated Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon as their top choice for beef stew. I was at Trader Joe's picking up some coffee and decided to browse the wine selection. They actually had it, and it was only $7.99. So I picked up a bottle to try on my next batch.
 
Sounds like a plan. Although 7.99 could buy you at 3 bottles of Boones. :emoji_wink::emoji_laughing:

Chris
 
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Sounds like a plan. Although 7.99 could buy you at 3 bottles of Boones. :emoji_wink::emoji_laughing:

Chris

Boy do I miss the Boone's Farm Wild Mountain Grape days! In '78 &'79, my friends and I must have raised Boone's Farm Stock, 10%. Two bottles per was a typical Summer night hanging out and tinkering with our cars or at band practice. Good times...JJ
 
Boy do I miss the Boone's Farm Wild Mountain Grape days! In '78 &'79, my friends and I must have raised Boone's Farm Stock, 10%. Two bottles per was a typical Summer night hanging out and tinkering with our cars or at band practice. Good times...JJ
Sounds like when I was in high school. '76 & '77. It was the muscle car era and street racing was the norm. It seemed like every weekend we were putting a clutch in someone's car. Except for us, it was Little Kings and Rolling Rock.
 
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What stuck out to me was not the price, but the vinegar taste. That bottle of Merlot was going bad. That said, I've opened Merlot, took a taste, spit it out, stuck in in the fridge (trust me vinos, I know), and two days later it was awesome! No one I've asked could explain why.

I grew up drinking and cooking with homemade Italian table wine. In beef stews, I decide whether I want dry or sweet. My wife prefers the sweet reds. Me? The dry. Somehow we make it all work.

Just about any red blend works in a stew, or spaghetti sauce, and they don't cost much.
 
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If it tastes bad, it’s bad for your recipe. Got me this included brines. I digress.
for red wine, Bogle merlot, is a good bet. For white wine, forget pino or the rest, opt for a Riesling. Very palatable.
 
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What stuck out to me was not the price, but the vinegar taste. That bottle of Merlot was going bad. That said, I've opened Merlot, took a taste, spit it out, stuck in in the fridge (trust me vinos, I know), and two days later it was awesome! No one I've asked could explain why.

I grew up drinking and cooking with homemade Italian table wine. In beef stews, I decide whether I want dry or sweet. My wife prefers the sweet reds. Me? The dry. Somehow we make it all work.

Just about any red blend works in a stew, or spaghetti sauce, and they don't cost much.
You let air get to the wine and in many cases once the wine breaths the flavor dramatically improves. Can't tell you how many great bottles we've enjoyed by first opening and let breath for 1 -2 hours before consuming.
 
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You let air get to the wine and in many cases once the wine breaths the flavor dramatically improves.
That's a must on better quality wines . They also sell wine glasses that aerate as you drink it for those that can't wait .
 
Yes but it's the time spent in the air that makes the real difference. When having a good bottle for dinner I'll open & decant it 2 hours ahead with the last 20 min in the fridge to give it a mild chill.
 
There are hundreds of $6-$8 dollar bottles of wine out there that are suitable for drinking or cooking next time ask the store clerk which ones sell the best. My go to cooking wine is a Cab or Chardonnay, Two Buck Chuck from Trader Joe's... Why because I can drink it and it doesn't have an off putting taste, I save the Duckhorn and Francis Coppola for drinking.

Another way to do it would be to buy a few cans, because they will store forever.
Most stores around here carry these and they would be fine for cooking.
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