by Dr. Joe LaVilla
When the topic of food and wine arises, the usual flow of conversation revolves around what wine to drink with dinner. The topic that almost never arises: what wine to put in dinner. The use of wine as an ingredient is usually controlled by only a couple factors: white or red and what's open in the fridge. But there is more to cooking with wine than using up last night's leftovers. Wine is a complex beverage and it's use in cooking has many implications. Where does the flavor come from and how will it affect my recipe? What about the alcohol? Just how do I incorporate wine into my cooking repetoire?
Well, here is a layman's primer on the chemistry of wine and food. This should be able to provide some basic answers to questions regarding wine and food. What components of wine add flavor, what happens to the alcohol and what sulfites have to do with anything. Also, how to choose a wine to cook with (besides just using up that bottle in the back of the fridge), how to cook with it and what you can expect for results. Finally, a little discussion on the implications of using wine in food—for our children, our religion and our general health.
Also see:
About the author:
Joe LaVilla originally hails from Rochester, in Western New York State. While obtaining his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Rochester, he decided to pursue his culinary calling. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Joe has worked in Manhattan, Washington, D.C. and at Spago in Las Vegas before settling in Phoenix.
This page originally published as part of the electronic Gourmet Guide between 1994 and 1998.
Copyright © 1997, 2007, Forkmedia LLC. All rights reserved.
Modified August 2007

Return to the
Global Gourmet®
Main Page
Global Gourmet®
Shopping
Gourmet Food, Cookbooks
Kitchen Gadgets & Gifts
Kate's Global Kitchen
Kate's Books
Cookbook Profiles
Global Destinations
I Love Desserts
On Wine
Shopping
New Green Basics
Cooking with Kids
Archives
Conversions & Charts
Forums/Message Boards
Search
About the
Global Gourmet®
Contact Info
Advertising
Feedback
Privacy Statement
Fish Forever
Local Breads
Asian Flavors (Jean-Georges)
Morimoto: Japanese Cooking
Chocolates & Confections
Julia Child
Cook with Jamie
The World Atlas of Wine
Food: The History of Taste
Cook Everything Vegetarian
All Cookbook Winners
Egg
My Bombay Kitchen
Revolutionary Chinese
A Baker's Odyssey
Great Bar Food at Home
Chez Jacques
Super Natural Cooking
Lidia's Italy
Geography of Oysters
Cheese Essentials
Vegetable Harvest
All Cookbook Nominees
Betty Crocker Why It Works
The Bon Appétit Cookbook
Joy of Cooking
Fifth Taste...Umami
The Professional Chef
New American Cooking
Vegetable Love
Copyright © 1994-2008,
Forkmedia LLC