Wine

A glass of red wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of fruit or vegetable juice. It is produced by fermenting the crushed fruits or vegetables, often grapes, using various types of yeast which consume the sugars and convert them into alcohol.

For culinary use, normally red or white wine is called for. The quality of the wine is important. If you wouldn't drink it, then don't cook with it! Rice wine is often used in Asian recipes.

Red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar and sherry vinegar are all made from various types of wine.

Light, dry (and usually inexpensive) red wine is added to the drink sangria.

Chef's tip

A good way of ensuring that you always have red or white wine spare for cooking is to freeze any left-overs in small paper or plastic vending machine coffee cups. They can be defrosted in a microwave and used immediately.

See also

• Sherry
• Port
• Brandy