Lo que hay de cierto en cocinar solo con el vino que uno bebería

Cooking with wine can be quite stressful, especially if you don't know which wine to choose. That's why the usual reaction is to consult the experts, who often say: "Cook with a wine you'd like to drink." Julia Moskin of the New York Times attributes this axiom to Julia Child, who said: "If you don't have a good wine, it's much better to do without it, because a bad one can ruin a simple dish and completely detract from an exquisite one."

Given the authority of the person who said it, the advice is hard to refute, although the issue has nuances. The truth is that wine contributes unique flavor profiles thanks to its acidity and sweetness, which blend with the other ingredients. Pete Dreyer, food critic for Great British Chefs, explains to Decanter: "In most sauces, the most important thing to consider is sweetness and acidity." He adds: "As the alcohol evaporates and the wine reduces, both of these qualities become more pronounced."

Therefore, a sour and bitter wine will become even more intense, and one that is too sweet can end up tasting like jam. Just because a bottle isn't enjoyable for drinking doesn't mean it's unsuitable for cooking: its flavors simply need to complement the other ingredients, keeping in mind that they will intensify during cooking.

In most sauces, an overly sweet white or red wine is not suitable for savory dishes, unless that sweetness is the desired effect. A red wine with a pronounced tannic profile is also not a good idea, because tannins intensify during cooking, as do sugar and acidity.

A bottle that's been open for a few weeks might be fine, but you should never cook with spoiled or vinegary wine, especially if the cork is damaged. It often has an unpleasant, musty, musty smell due to the compound 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA). Danielle Kuzinich, owner of the San Francisco Wine Society, explains to Food and Wine that this compound "can transfer to barrels and cellars, so even wines with screw caps or glass stoppers can have cork defects."

If you're unsure about a bottle of wine, it's a good idea to reduce it slightly before adding it to the dish to check if it's acceptable. A cheap, old, or otherwise undrinkable wine isn't necessarily unsuitable for cooking, so the answer remains both yes and no.