Unsalted cooking wine

[alurpal]

I’ve been brainstorming the idea of specialty cooking wines for commercial sale. Think garlic, herbs, etc.

After doing some googling, looks like wines with 1.5g per 100ml of salt are not considered alcoholic beverages. This would make sales and shipping so much simpler but ew, I don’t really want to make a salted wine.

Now I see at TTBGov - TTB | Public Guidance | TTB G 2016-2A that non salted cooking wine is subject to formula approval and lab analysis. Has anyone gone down this route? Is unsalted non beverage cooking wine something that had the potential to be approved?

Shot in the dark, but wanted to pick the brains here first.

 

[BigDaveK]

I like the idea of specialty cooking wines and have made a few. Some are borderline sipping wines if you can handle the intense flavor.

However,
IMO most people who care about food cook with what they drink.

Don't want to discourage you! There must be a market for cooking wines otherwise they wouldn't sell it. Good luck!

 

[winemaker81]

Unless someone here has specific experience to point you in the correct direction, you'll need to get help from a qualified source. Due to potentially bad (for you) legal implications, you want to ensure you get solid advice before proceeding.

 

[alurpal]

I like the idea of specialty cooking wines and have made a few. Some are borderline sipping wines if you can handle the intense flavor.

However,
IMO most people who care about food cook with what they drink.

Don't want to discourage you! There must be a market for cooking wines otherwise they wouldn't sell it. Good luck!

I love reading your going for it threads. Interesting point you make with cooking with what you drink. That’s how I do it, so makes sense. From my understanding, the main benefit of cooking with wine is the addition of acidity and moisture. That said, I also notice an overall increase in flavor complexity when I add red wine to my bolognese. This is what I want to take advantage of but with other unique flavor profiles for adding interest to food for home chefs who take pride in elevating their cooking. I also think a garlic wine makes a killer vermouth substitute in a martini

Unless someone here has specific experience to point you in the correct direction, you'll need to get help from a qualified source. Due to potentially bad (for you) legal implications, you want to ensure you get solid advice before proceeding.

No doubt. Sound advice. I actually didn’t realize how many states now allow direct to consumer shipping from wineries out of state. It’s probably best to just be a winery and produce great products for sipping or cooking.

 

[BigDaveK]

@alurpal you make a good point about complexity. My garlic wine makes a wonderful addition to dishes but it's not as complex as I'd like. I don't do grapes so I'm toying with the idea of a garlic-elderberry wine for cooking. Toying, ha! It's in my head and won't go away until I make it.
What a fun hobby!

 

[vinny]

I’ve been brainstorming the idea of specialty cooking wines for commercial sale. Think garlic, herbs, etc.

After doing some googling, looks like wines with 1.5g per 100ml of salt are not considered alcoholic beverages. This would make sales and shipping so much simpler but ew, I don’t really want to make a salted wine.

Now I see at TTBGov - TTB | Public Guidance | TTB G 2016-2A that non salted cooking wine is subject to formula approval and lab analysis. Has anyone gone down this route? Is unsalted non beverage cooking wine something that had the potential to be approved?

Shot in the dark, but wanted to pick the brains here first.

I only have 2 "cooking wines" in my cabinet. Shaoxing, and cooking sherry. Both are salted. Otherwise I cook with what I drink.

There is certainly a market for salted cooking wines, but they serve a totally different purpose for me. I use them to accent a dish in smaller quantities. I subscribe to the popular ideology (outside of this forum). Don't cook with a wine you wouldn't drink. If I am going to pour a significant amount of wine on an expensive piece of meat or into a sauce I use a good wine.

@BigDaveK said it with less words, but if we all had the same reply this forum would be pretty boring.

I think there is a place for both. I would like to make some flavored cooking wines. I wouldn't add salt, but it wouldn't make or break the sale if something piqued my interest and was salted. In fact I might not even consider it if it wasn't clearly labelled. That of course could affect my future purchases once I realized it though. Then it comes down to how much I enjoy using it.

 

[ratflinger]

Salted cooking wines - No. There is way too much salt in everything as it is. Another thing is the actual taste of the product vs time, a bottle of wine is opened and used whereas a cooking wine might sit for months after opening.

 

[Snafflebit]

I remember my mother buying the salted cooking sherry to use. I tried it once not knowing about the salt! Wow

But back in the 70's there was no wine sold in the grocery stores and she would have been seen walking out of a liquor store by all the church ladies. Tsk tsk.

These days, I cannot see why anyone would buy this stuff. There is so much good cheap wine available everywhere now.

 

[vinny]

Salted cooking wines - No. There is way too much salt in everything as it is. Another thing is the actual taste of the product vs time, a bottle of wine is opened and used whereas a cooking wine might sit for months after opening.

The other reason I use what I drink. Half in the dish.. Half in the Dave.

 

[winemaker81]

These days, I cannot see why anyone would buy this stuff. There is so much good cheap wine available everywhere now.

When I need a new 4 liter jug, I purchased a jug of Carlo Rossi Burgundy or Chablis. At current prices it's $3 USD per bottle of cooking wine and includes a free 4 liter jug.

The other reason I use what I drink. Half in the dish.. Half in the Dave.

One of the reasons I love this forum is that I have a lot of brothers and sisters I've not had the honor of meeting in person.

 

[vinny]

These days, I cannot see why anyone would buy this stuff. There is so much good cheap wine available everywhere now.

It has been so long since I have used it I can't think of where I have used the sherry. Likely in place of shoaxing when I didn't have any. Shaoxing is the answer to authentic stir fry's at home. It adds to the sauces and is often in the meat marinade. Always in small quantities though. a bottle lasts me close to 2 years.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

I also think a garlic wine makes a killer vermouth substitute in a martini

Not to take us too far off topic but... Vodka martini with a few drops of your best balsamic vinegar in place of the vermouth. Cheers!

 

[BarrelMonkey]

Shaoxing is the answer to authentic stir fry's at home. It adds to the sauces and is often in the meat marinade. Always in small quantities though. a bottle lasts me close to 2 years.

When I moved to California many years ago, one of the few cookbooks I brought with me was the UK edition of 'Chinese Cookery' by Deh-ta Hsiung. The running joke in our house is that every recipe calls for Shaoxing rice wine...

And googling his name to make sure i spelled it right, it seems like he's still around at the ripe old age of 90!