red wine
Wine made from dark-skinned grapes fermented with their skins on, which is what gives red wine its color and tannin -- the drying, slightly bitter sensation on the tongue. In cooking it's used for braising liquids, deglazing, and pan sauces, where its acidity and tannin balance rich or fatty ingredients.
Buying guidance
Buy something dry, not sweet, and drinkable enough that a glass of it would be enjoyable, but an expensive bottle is wasted in cooking -- a mid-range, everyday drinking wine is the right call. Skip bottles specifically labeled cooking wine, which are often salted and made to sit shelf-stable rather than taste good.
Substitutions
- Another dry red wine of a similar style -- fully interchangeable; the exact grape matters far less in cooking than in drinking.
- Beef or vegetable stock with a splash of red wine vinegar -- restores some acidity without the alcohol or wine flavor.
- Pomegranate juice mixed with a little vinegar -- a non-alcoholic approximation of red wine's fruit and acid balance.
Tips & common mistakes
Taste the wine on its own before cooking with it, especially from a bottle that's been open a few days -- an oxidized or slightly vinegary wine carries that off flavor straight into a sauce rather than mellowing out as it cooks. Boiling it hard and fast rather than simmering gently can also bring out a harsh, bitter edge from its tannins instead of the rounder flavor a slower reduction gives.
Storage
Leftover wine earmarked for cooking freezes well in small portions -- an ice cube tray works, then transfer the frozen cubes to a bag -- so a bottle not fully used for drinking doesn't have to be finished within the few days it keeps well refrigerated.