Recommend a white wine to put in pasta dishes

runswithascript

I eat a lot of pasta and I'm not sure what white wine would be best to put into the sauces.

When I say best I mean better than similar cheaply priced wine (€10-15 maybe?). If you'd like to recommend a not so cheap bottle for special occasions I would welcome that but please also suggest something I can use a lot of for little expense.

If you're considering moving my thread to the Beer & Wine & Spirits forum please bear in mind I'm asking what wine to have in the dishes rather than with the dishes.

lemeister

Personally, so long as the wine is drinkable, I just put in whatever wine I have in the cupboard - normally a pino grigio or chardonnay. The wine does add a lovely flavour to dishes but I can't tell the difference it makes between different wines (again so long as the wine is drinkable, ie. not vinegar!)

The Sweeper

LA3G, I follow a simple rule when using wine in cooking - a glass for the pot, and a glass for me, from the same bottle.

I wouldn't put cheap wine into cooking, because there's no way I'm spending money on top quality ingredients and then splashing a glass of vinegar over them.

I'd advise you to find a drinkable bottle of wine at an acceptable price for you, something you'd happily have a chilled glass of along with a slice of brie and a few grapes - and use that for cooking. Buy a roll of those plastic ice cube bags at the supermarket, and pour any remaining wine into them, then freeze it. That way you can use it in cubes to add wine flavours to stocks, sauces and gravies without having to open a bottle every time.

I like dry white wines in tomato-based dishes, I think they bring a nice, sharp flavour and I counter it as appropriate with palm sugar in any sauce I'm making.

runswithascript

lemeister wrote: »

The wine does add a lovely flavour to dishes but I can't tell the difference it makes between different wines (again so long as the wine is drinkable, ie. not vinegar!)

Yes, and so many times you read "in a white wine sauce".

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

LA3G, I follow a simple rule when using wine in cooking - a glass for the pot, and a glass for me, from the same bottle.

Perfectly logical but made me laugh all the same

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

I wouldn't put cheap wine into cooking, because there's no way I'm spending money on top quality ingredients and then splashing a glass of vinegar over them.

How cheap is cheap?

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

That way you can use it in cubes to add wine flavours to stocks, sauces and gravies without having to open a bottle every time.

I don't drink much wine but when I have it it doesn't last long although I was under the assumption you can just pop the cork back in? When cooking I'd probably go through a bottle in a little over a week if that's relevant...

The Sweeper

A 'cheap' wine to me is one with poor flavour, unpleasant aftertastes - the sort of thing where you have a first sip and go "oh BLUGH... oh no hang on..." I don't rate wines by price particularly - and couldn't for the Irish market anyway, because I haven't lived there in nearly seven years.

runswithascript

Okay thanks.

Supercell

You can get perfectly drinkable white wine in Lidl for €5.99.
The thing about wines is that they all have their own character and flavours so there really isnt one size that fits all recipies.
To be honest, I just use whatever wine i like to drink, chances are I'll like the flavour in the food too.
A week in the fridge is perfectly fine as long as the cork/cap is on there otherwise the foods in the fridge will flavour it and it them.

Supercell

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

Buy a roll of those plastic ice cube bags at the supermarket, and pour any remaining wine into them, then freeze it. That way you can use it in cubes to add wine flavours to stocks, sauces and gravies without having to open a bottle every time.

That is a top tip!, I'd never have thought of that..then again wine rarely lasts long in my fridge anyhow

Minder

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

LA3G, I follow a simple rule when using wine in cooking - a glass for the pot, and a glass for me, from the same bottle.

I wouldn't put cheap wine into cooking, because there's no way I'm spending money on top quality ingredients and then splashing a glass of vinegar over them.

I completely agree that rubbish in equals rubbish out. Cooking an unpleasant tasting wine will not make it any more palatable. But pouring an expensive bottle of very fine wine into a bubbling pot is equally a waste. The complexities of a fine wine, the balance of fruit, acidity, tannin and sugar will largely be lost the moment it hits the pot. In the words of the chef Rowley Leigh, I'd as soon feed caviar to the cat.