Let me get this out of the way: I’m not here to teach you how to cook, nor am I about to launch into a TED Talk on proper wine tasting etiquette. What I am here for is to share a little insight into why wine deserves a rightful spot not just on your table, but in your kitchen, both in your dishes and in your glass. And if there’s one takeaway from my own trial-and-error kitchen adventures, it’s this: cooking with a glass of wine in hand transforms the experience into something beautifully indulgent.
And hey, whether you are sipping it straight from a Bordeaux crystal glass or chugging it from a paper cup with a straw while blasting AC/DC and flipping a steak one-legged in your slippers, no judgment. In fact, send me a photo. I will frame it. That’s the spirit we love around here.
Cook with the Wine You Drink
Here’s a tip I wish someone had drilled into me sooner: cook only with wines you would actually want to drink. You’re not going to pour the whole bottle into your risotto, so you might as well enjoy the rest of it in your glass. Wine added during cooking enhances flavor with just a splash or two, but make sure it’s real wine, not something labeled “cooking wine”. That stuff often contains unnecessary additives and an ungodly amount of salt.
Marinades with a Little Magic
No, I am not suggesting you drown your steak in a full bottle of Merlot, but a little wine in your marinade? Game-changer. Think of wine as culinary sorcery, like Merlin peering beneath the surface of things. When used in a marinade, wine tenderizes meat and teases out deeper flavors in vegetables, helping them shine in ways plain oil and herbs never could.
It’s not just about taste, it’s about transformation.
Sweet Wines & Dessert: A Match Made in Heaven
Sweet wines are misunderstood, often overlooked, but let’s set the record straight, they are little bottles of joy. Yes, there are technical ways to measure their sweetness (residual sugar content, for example), but I say: just taste it. If it makes you smile, that’s all the data you need.
When paired with dessert, a good sweet wine doesn’t compete, it completes. It’s like listening to a song that starts with a catchy beat, then gradually reveals the depth of its lyrics, drawing you in verse by verse. Sweet wines have that kind of poetry to them layers waiting to be discovered with each sip. They are the final exclamation point at the end of a good meal.
Wine: Liquid Storytelling
Let’s be honest! we all have a private anthology of bittersweet stories we carry around like old journals. And sometimes, a single glass of wine can bring those memories to the surface reminding us of who we’ve been, who we’ve lost, or where we’re going. That’s the beauty of wine: it isn’t just a beverage. It’s memory. It’s emotion. It’s happiness, bottled.
So next time you cook, pour yourself a glass. Add a splash to the pan. Feel the aromas rise. Whether you’re making a five-course meal or a midnight snack, let the wine be your co-pilot.
Cheers to food, to flavour, and to a little bit of magic in every meal.
''At the end of the day, you really can’t make a wrong choice.
As long as you pay attention to what it is that you don’t like about a wine
each bottle will get you closer to what you do like.
Take it one glass at a time!''