Topic: What do they mean by dry wine

[Corbomite]

Well I sold the stuff for eleven years and "dry" does not simply mean "not sweet". Merlots and Cabernets are not sweet, but they are what is called "full bodied", not dry. A dry Merlot tastes horrible IMO as does a dry Cab. This is the reason red wines need to breath a bit to help oxygenize out the tanins and allow the full flavor to be released. YMMV, however. Wine is a very subjective experience.

Kahlee, for cooking you don't need to spend a lot. Cooking wines should never cost you more than about $4.00. Most wines have a short description of their character on the back label. Look for one that says dry or ask for help at a local wine shop. If you describe your need any retailer worth his salt can direct you to a good cooking wine. After you get a good idea of what you want you can get good cooking wines by the jug at your local supermarket. Just don't serve them with dinner OK?  

[GE-Raven]

Quote:
Well I sold the stuff for eleven years and "dry" does not simply mean "not sweet". Merlots and Cabernets are not sweet, but they are what is called "full bodied", not dry. A dry Merlot tastes horrible IMO as does a dry Cab. This is the reason red wines need to breath a bit to help oxygenize out the tanins and allow the full flavor to be released. YMMV, however. Wine is a very subjective experience.

Kahlee, for cooking you don't need to spend a lot. Cooking wines should never cost you more than about $4.00. Most wines have a short description of their character on the back label. Look for one that says dry or ask for help at a local wine shop. If you describe your need any retailer worth his salt can direct you to a good cooking wine. After you get a good idea of what you want you can get good cooking wines by the jug at your local supermarket. Just don't serve them with dinner OK?    

Well my wine maker's guide sure seems to think it is just that simple.  Of course some may not think Daniel Johnnes's ideas are woth anything on the subject, but I happen to agree with him.

While I agree that a Merlot is certainly a full bodied wine is also certainly a dry wine.  It is even listed under "dry" in my book!  

Almost all table wines are dry by definition.  However they vary a great deal.  Many mistake "Fruitness" for sweetness.  Tanic acid is often used to balance the frutiness of the beverage.  However there are many dry wines that have absolutely no tannic acid.  A honey wine (non-malted mead) can be confused for a very dry white wine by many, but it has no tanic acid, whatsoever.

Just being a pain...

Khalee they are right about cooking wine... use a cheap "cooking wine" labelled as such from any gorcery.  The only time I use a good wine for cooking, is for marinading a steak.

GE-Raven

GE-Raven
 

[Khalee]

Well here is the recipe if you want it.

Baked fish with bell pepper sauce
1 1/2 lbs white fish 3/4 inch thick, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoon dry white wine(dont know where I got the1/4 cup red wine from),1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons Slivered almonds? what are theses things suppose to be
1 clove garlic,2 medium sized red bell peppers,cut into thin strips 2 medium minced basil leaves, 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch

Place fish in shallow baking pan, Combine 2tablespoons of soy sauce with 1 tablespoon of wine; poor over fish, coat both sides marinate 30 mins. Poor off marinade and bake fish 350 degree oven for 15 mins, or untill fish  flakes easily with fork. Meantime heat oil in small skillet over medium heat, add almonds and garlic; saute 1 to 2 minutes or untill almonds are golden. Stir in bell peppers, basil and remaining soy sauce and wine. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, 5 mins. Combine with cornstarch with 1 teaspoon of water and add to skillet. cook and stir untill mixture boils and thickens. Server fish with red bell pepper sauce. Makes 6 servings.    

[*EZKILL*]

Quote:
Food section of my local paper has a pretty good looking fish recipe, at least it looks simple enough to make, But it calls for a 1/4 cup dry red wine as part of the sauce. I know nothing about wine so what do they mean by dry wine.  

My only advice is don't cook with a wine that you wouldn't be pleased to drink.

[Corbomite]

Quote:
Well my wine maker's guide sure seems to think it is just that simple. Of course some may not think Daniel Johnnes's ideas are woth anything on the subject, but I happen to agree with him.

As I said, YMMV. I can quote all kinds of conflicting sources on wine. Everybody is an "expert" on wine,  just ask them!  

[E_Look]

"Not wine... hic... Mr. Spock, hic... liquor!"

[Khalee]

Food section of my local paper has a pretty good looking fish recipe, at least it looks simple enough to make, But it calls for a 1/4 cup dry red wine as part of the sauce. I know nothing about wine so what do they mean by dry wine.

[Corbomite]

Dry refers to the amount of tanins (sp?) in the wine that give it a slight acidic taste. Examples of red wines that are (usually) considered dry are Zinfandel and Chianti. Each wine maker has their own ideas about what makes a good varietal, however, so there are several levels of "dry" even in dry wine types.

[Iceman]

Dry wines are just typically cooking wines, no? I know we use several at work for sautee's and such.  

[Corbomite]

Sherry is used in cooking and can be dry or sweet, depending on what the wine maker was after.

[Khalee]

Well since you seem to know about this stuff, for a real beginer without a lot of money, what kind of wine should I get. And  where should I get it from.

[GE-Raven]

Not to be a know-it-all but "dry" actually referes to the sweetness (actually lack thereof) of the wine.

I make homemade wine Here in WIsconsin, and most of the grapes that grow here make a "dry" wine because the "must" that is made from crushing them is not very sweet (compared to many warmer climate grapes).  This means that when the yeast converts the sugar to alcohol it will often use up all or almost all the sugar.  This means the wine is dry as there is little sugar to make it sweet.  You can add sugar (or some like corn syrup or honey) to make the wine a "sack-wine" that is sweet.  

Dry wines are actually equally good for cooking and drinking with a meal.  Sweet wines are often "desert wines" and are consumed after a meal.  

So basically dryness is the opposite of sweetness.  This also means that dry wines tend to have a higher alcohol content.  Sack wine can also be very potent as they tend to have the "maximum" alcohol content that the yeast can tolerate before the alcohol kills the yeast and stops fermentation.

Hope this helps

GE-Raven
   

[762]

Dry simply means not sweet. Any type of wine can be dry.

Sherry is intended to be used as an aperitif, although it is frequently used in cooking as well.

[Corbomite]

Well I sold the stuff for eleven years and "dry" does not simply mean "not sweet". Merlots and Cabernets are not sweet, but they are what is called "full bodied", not dry. A dry Merlot tastes horrible IMO as does a dry Cab. This is the reason red wines need to breath a bit to help oxygenize out the tanins and allow the full flavor to be released. YMMV, however. Wine is a very subjective experience.

Kahlee, for cooking you don't need to spend a lot. Cooking wines should never cost you more than about $4.00. Most wines have a short description of their character on the back label. Look for one that says dry or ask for help at a local wine shop. If you describe your need any retailer worth his salt can direct you to a good cooking wine. After you get a good idea of what you want you can get good cooking wines by the jug at your local supermarket. Just don't serve them with dinner OK?  

[GE-Raven]

Quote:
Well I sold the stuff for eleven years and "dry" does not simply mean "not sweet". Merlots and Cabernets are not sweet, but they are what is called "full bodied", not dry. A dry Merlot tastes horrible IMO as does a dry Cab. This is the reason red wines need to breath a bit to help oxygenize out the tanins and allow the full flavor to be released. YMMV, however. Wine is a very subjective experience.

Kahlee, for cooking you don't need to spend a lot. Cooking wines should never cost you more than about $4.00. Most wines have a short description of their character on the back label. Look for one that says dry or ask for help at a local wine shop. If you describe your need any retailer worth his salt can direct you to a good cooking wine. After you get a good idea of what you want you can get good cooking wines by the jug at your local supermarket. Just don't serve them with dinner OK?    

Well my wine maker's guide sure seems to think it is just that simple.  Of course some may not think Daniel Johnnes's ideas are woth anything on the subject, but I happen to agree with him.

While I agree that a Merlot is certainly a full bodied wine is also certainly a dry wine.  It is even listed under "dry" in my book!  

Almost all table wines are dry by definition.  However they vary a great deal.  Many mistake "Fruitness" for sweetness.  Tanic acid is often used to balance the frutiness of the beverage.  However there are many dry wines that have absolutely no tannic acid.  A honey wine (non-malted mead) can be confused for a very dry white wine by many, but it has no tanic acid, whatsoever.

Just being a pain...

Khalee they are right about cooking wine... use a cheap "cooking wine" labelled as such from any gorcery.  The only time I use a good wine for cooking, is for marinading a steak.

GE-Raven

GE-Raven
 

[Khalee]

Well here is the recipe if you want it.

Baked fish with bell pepper sauce
1 1/2 lbs white fish 3/4 inch thick, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoon dry white wine(dont know where I got the1/4 cup red wine from),1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons Slivered almonds? what are theses things suppose to be
1 clove garlic,2 medium sized red bell peppers,cut into thin strips 2 medium minced basil leaves, 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch

Place fish in shallow baking pan, Combine 2tablespoons of soy sauce with 1 tablespoon of wine; poor over fish, coat both sides marinate 30 mins. Poor off marinade and bake fish 350 degree oven for 15 mins, or untill fish  flakes easily with fork. Meantime heat oil in small skillet over medium heat, add almonds and garlic; saute 1 to 2 minutes or untill almonds are golden. Stir in bell peppers, basil and remaining soy sauce and wine. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, 5 mins. Combine with cornstarch with 1 teaspoon of water and add to skillet. cook and stir untill mixture boils and thickens. Server fish with red bell pepper sauce. Makes 6 servings.    

[*EZKILL*]

Quote:
Food section of my local paper has a pretty good looking fish recipe, at least it looks simple enough to make, But it calls for a 1/4 cup dry red wine as part of the sauce. I know nothing about wine so what do they mean by dry wine.  

My only advice is don't cook with a wine that you wouldn't be pleased to drink.

[Corbomite]

Quote:
Well my wine maker's guide sure seems to think it is just that simple. Of course some may not think Daniel Johnnes's ideas are woth anything on the subject, but I happen to agree with him.

As I said, YMMV. I can quote all kinds of conflicting sources on wine. Everybody is an "expert" on wine,  just ask them!  

[E_Look]

"Not wine... hic... Mr. Spock, hic... liquor!"