Best Dry Red Wine For Cooking

Many of Ree Drummond's recipes call for a bit of red cooking wine, and it's no wonder: A splash of vino can add a ton of flavor and color, especially to meaty dishes like pot roast or a simple Bolognese sauce. But when the time comes to head to the liquor store and pick out a bottle, the options on the shelf can be overwhelming—what really is the best red wine for cooking?

Before you get fussy over varietals, remember that the most important thing when shopping for a red cooking wine is to buy something you like—that way you don't let the rest of the bottle go to waste, says Angela Gardner, General Manager at Tulsa Hills Wine Cellar. Chances are you won't use the whole bottle in the recipe, so choosing something you find drinkable is a must. You also shouldn't feel like you need to spend too much on any wine that you use for cooking either: an inexpensive bottle (around $20), is just fine for the vast majority of recipes.

Ready to learn about which varietals are the best red wines for cooking? Check out the picks below from the team at Tulsa Hills Wine Cellar, and then use whatever bottle you end up picking to make Ree's Cranberry Mulled Wine, or Short Ribs with Wine and Cream.

This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

The best red wines for cooking:

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is great for stew recipes and is the primary wine used in dishes like Beef Bourguignon. (Bourguignon calls for red Burgundy, a wine made from Pinot Noir grapes.)

Merlot

Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Merlot 2017

Merlot is a great wine for adding depth to a tomato sauce, such as Ryan's Bolognese Sauce.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine Anthology

Secret Indulgence Chronology Red

Cabernet Sauvignon is a full-bodied red good for braising and cooking red meats in, like in Ree's Pot Roast.

Red Blends

McBride Sister Black Girl Magic California Red Blend 2018

McBride Sister shopwinedirect.com

$24.99

The Tulsa Hills team says that red blends are great cost-effective, all-purpose wines for cooking when you're not sure what other varietal to reach for.

What if a recipe calls for red wine and I don't have it or I don't want to use it?

You can replace the red wine called for in most recipes with an equal amount of beef broth, if you want to cut out the alcohol for any reason (or you just don't have red wine!).

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io