Cooking For Engineers

[richlw]

I am preparing Ossu Bucco in the next couple of days and the recipe call for one cup of white wine. I have tried chardonnay in recipes before and I just didn't like the results. It's frustrating when recipes call for white wine and it does not specify a particular white wine. I would appreciate any recommendations and brand names are welcome.

Thanks,

Rich

[Michael Chu]

Do you like the taste of the Chardonnay that you used in your recipes in the past? I don't really like Chardonnay's and usually lean towards Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris...

[richlw]

Thanks for the reply. I don't like Chardonnay in any recipe. I don't really cook with wine except sometimes a dry sherry. Do you know of a web site, or could you point me in the right direction where I can find out about which white wine to use with a particular dish? Example what white wine for fish, chicken, etc.

Thanks,

Rich

[Dilbert]

wonderful would that such a thing existed.

you do realize that every winery makes different stuff, no?
there are tens of thousands of wineries, thousands of "generic" wine "names" and gosh, every year they turn out different....

of course, after someone does all the work of testing every wine every year for every dish/recipe, there's a couple of problems:

(1) there is no accounting for taste. what you like, I may not
(2) states with controlled alcohol sales do not have every wine made in the world available for purchase.

pick a wine that's available and you like, try it. yes, it may not work out in the end....
I keep notes - I'd rather not make that same mistake again....

for a fattier dish, I like a drier white - pinot grigio would be my first option on osso bucco.

[Michael Chu]

Rich,

Do you like drinking chardonnay?

[IndyRob]

Originally Written by Julia Child:

White wine for cooking should be strong and dry, but never sour or fruity. A most satisfactory choice is white Macon, made from the Pinot Blanc or the Chardonnay grape. It has all the right qualities and, in France, is not expensive. As the right white wine is not as reasonable in America, we have found that a good dry, white vermouth is an excellent substitute, and much better than the wrong kind of white wine.

I just throw that out because I happened to remember her writing about it and looked it up. But even being a self-confessed wine imbecile, I think this is a terribly important topic.

When I made Julia's Cream of Scallop soup for the first time it was perhaps my only truly OMG! result. It was something that transcended good cooking. It was astounding. Better than anything I had ever had anywhere. Although there was no originality on my part, I wanted to scream "Careme! Escoffier! Keller! You've got nothing on me!".

But I never made note of the wine I used.

The next time it was too sweet and lacked the same impact. Later I tried it again more meticulously and it fell flat again.

In retrospect, although I don't have problem drinking even cheap chardonnay, I do find it a bit both sour and fruity (much to Julia's presumed chagrin). I think Sauvignon Blanc was recommended by America's Test Kitchen, but buying a random one was certainly no magic bullet.

But I do think it's something that could be analyzed in a practical sense. Preferably with guidance on specific pairings and vintages and a respect to economy. I suspect that it's out there somewhere in sommelier-land.

[danicamoore]

Well It should be like this. White meat goes with the white wine, and Red meat goes with the red wine. There are lots of brand of wine out in the market but it depend on what you like and what you love. Are you looking for a cheaper wine and moderate quality? The fox barn's harvest or Leelanau Cellars witches' brew. But expensive wine comes with great satisfactory. Good luck.

[Roonycole]

I would imagine the place you're having the reception can give you some recommendations. I would also do a search on Pardon That Vine You’ll have all clear in your head after you browse the site. I'm really impressed. I think you should try this. Hope it will help you.

[Cupcar]

How about using dry Vermouth?

Also, I think higher alchohol wines extract the flavor oils in aromatics better.