Wine brings acidity, fruit and balance of the food. Once you go to a grocery store and find some white wines, I strongly advise you to grab some. There are numerous white wines that expand your possibilities and styles in cooking. As you cook with wine, the aroma and flavor become integrated with the entire dish.
Still confused on how to start and asking yourself what are some examples of white wines you can enjoy with? Here are the six top white wines that you should include in your cooking.
Pinot Grigio
One of the secrets in cooking using wine is to use those with moderate alcohol content and generous acidity. For the alcohol level, it should ideally be between 10 and 13 percent.
Pinot Grigio is one of those white wines that contain a moderate level of alcohol and acidity. These certain factors make the dish delightful to taste buds, allowing the acid and alcohol to merge with the foods.
This wine perfectly matches the fish and other seafood, red meat, or risotto dishes. Pinot is produced in Italy. Its manufacturer allows the skin of the grapes to remain in contact with the must for 24 hours. This practice gives a rich fruity flavor of the wine.
A recipe like a chicken with honey citrus glaze and a touch of Pinot Grigio is one of the all-time favorite recipes. Using this wine, you can also make spaghetti with seafood.
Chardonnay
When it comes to richness of flavor, go with Chardonnay. This wine is one of the world’s most popular wines worldwide.
There oaked and unoaked Chardonnay, but when it comes to cooking choose that unoaked Chardonnay. Unoaked style of Chardonnay is the best ingredient for seafood such as sushi, oysters and fish.
Chardonnay is often gold colored because of its oxidative winemaking that increases the color. Its minerality, crispness, and delicate flavors merge well with seafood and crave your tongue more.
Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc gains overwhelming popularity to winemakers in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley in France. The meaning of the name, Sauvignon Blanc is “Wild White” and the grape used is originated on the Southern part of France.
The grape is closely related to Traminer which is one of the most widely planted wine grapes around the globe.
The green and herbaceous flavors like bell peppers, jalapeño, gooseberry, and grass make it useful to your dining table and kitchen.
This is also particular for seafood dishes or with sauces with heavy cream because it provides racy acidity.
Champagne
Champagne is not just made for celebration purposes. There chefs that consider this wine as one of the best ingredients for cooking.
A butter sauce made from champagne is a great baseline for any type of fish. The liveliness of sparkling champagne offsets the fattiness of the fish and the richness of the butter.
The main key of using champagne as a cooking ingredient is to use dry sparkling wine after opening it within a few days.
Champagne works well with various types of dishes. For some cooking experts, they recommend using this wine for shellfish dishes and tomato-based meals.
Dry Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc originates in France and is known to be one of the oldest white wines in the world. In past years, Chenin slowly regains its position as part of the finest wines ever produced.
It contains a higher acidity level compared to other white wines and consist of various kinds of fruits. That is why it is considered to be as a top choice for cooking especially for Asian-type of dishes.
This Creek Vineyard California’s wine has expressive aromas of pineapple, white pear and banana, and a taste of tangerine. This qualities of Chenin make it an excellent choice not just for fish dishes but for some desserts as well.
Dry Riesling
Riesling originates in Germany and known for its strong character and delicious flavor of citrus and fruits. These make Riesling best for the finest dishes.
Today, Riesling is one of the top-grossing Sokolin White wines produced worldwide. This is intended for celebration and for cooking purposes. The wine’s character is hugely determined by the geographic area where it is made.
The intricate aromas of citrus pear, flowers, and pear make dry Chenin as a top choice for meat dishes like pork with Riesling sauce. It’s also good for veal scallop, and chicken with sour cream and Riesling.
You can also try Riesling pudding with pumpkin mousse if you want to cook something special intended for a special day.
Takeaway
Depending on the meal you want to prepare, there is always a specific white wine for it. Whether it is Chardonnay, Champagne, Riesling, or Pinot Grigio, you can always add some unique flavors just by pouring some.
There is always a place for every bottle. Leftover or not, wine is made for numerous purposes. You can simply make it as an ingredient for cooking or serve it during meals.
