An old joke among wine enthusiasts is that having a glass of wine while preparing a meal is cooking with wine and that they might even add some to the recipe. Of course, cooking with wine really means that wine is an essential ingredient that will intensify the flavors of a dish and add dimension to the meal.

Cooking with wine is not difficult; there’s no special trick to it. That said please note that we are talking about real wine, table wine, fortified wine – even champagne – but not the stuff from the vinegar aisle of the grocery store labeled cooking wine. Yes, yes, cooking wine is wine with an alcohol content ranging from 10 percent to 17 percent, but it has been processed specifically for cooking from wine that is not suitable for drinking. It has alcohol but salt and preservatives have been added to extend the shelf life and prevent it from turning to vinegar. Other than a longer shelf life and convenience, why would anyone want to use a wine that cannot be drunk? The difference between cooking wine and “drinking” wine is quality. Poor quality can turn a nice dinner into a disaster pretty quickly.