Choose wines sold only by licensed dealers. Products sold in these stores are manufac-
tured under the strict supervision of the federal government.
Storing This Food
All wine should be stored in tightly sealed bottles in a cool, dry, dark place, protected from
direct light—whose energy might disrupt the structure of the flavor molecules in the wine.
(Most wine bottles are tinted amber or green to screen out ultraviolet light.)
After it is bottled, wine continues to react with the small amount of oxygen in the
container, a phenomenon known as aging. Red wines improve (“mature”) in the bottle; their
taste is deeper and mellower after a year or two, and some continue to age for as long as 15
years. Keep the bottle on its side so that the wine flows down and keeps the cork wet. A
wet cork expands to seal the bottle even more tightly and keep extra air from coming into
the bottle and oxidizing the wine to vinegar. (Bottles with plastic corks or screw tops can be
stored upright. Their seals are air-tight.)
Store leftover wine in a small bottle with a tight cap and as little air space as possible.
Use leftover table wines as soon as possible (or let them oxidize to vinegar). Appetizer and
dessert wines, which are higher in alcohol content than table wines, may taste good for as
long as a month after the bottle is opened.
Preparing This Food
All wines contain volatile molecules that give the beverage its characteristic flavor and
aroma. Warming the liquid excites these molecules and intensifies the flavor and aroma.
While dry white or rosé wines are usually chilled before serving, sweet white wines and the
more flavorful reds are best served at room temperature.
Stand a bottle of wine upright for a day before serving it, so that the sediment (dregs)
will settle to the bottom. When you open a bottle of wine, handle it gently to avoid stirring
up the sediment.
What Happens When You Cook This Food
When you heat wine, its alcohol evaporates but its flavor remains. Since evaporation concen-
trates the flavor, be sure the wine you’re using tastes good enough to drink; cooking won’t
improve the flavor of a bad wine.
In cooking, when you add the wine depends on what you want it to do. As a tender-
izer, add the wine when you start cooking; for flavor, near the end of the cooking process.
Alcohol is an acid. If you cook it in an aluminum or iron pot, it will react with metal
ions to form dark compounds that discolor the pot and the food. Recipes made with wine
should be prepared in an enameled, glass, or stainless steel pot.
How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food
Wine