don't stock wine for cooking if you won't drink it. It will go bad before you use it all up.
you could buy a split of say a sauvignon blanc and perhaps a cabernet....but freeze any that you don't ues once you open the bottle.
However.....things like sherry and marsala will keep a fair amount of time, but they are not the wines to use for,say a spaghetti sauce or in a beef stew, they have their own special uses..

Linda C

Nancy, don't buy wine if you use it that seldom and never drink it. Wine doesn't keep well once opened.

I find that most recipes that I use that call for wine want white wine. Dry, white vermouth is a perfect sub for white wine and it lasts forever...and I mean forever!

Red wine is a bit trickier but generally I find Maderia to be a good sub, in some dishes, again it lasts forever. If you are cooking a dish that wants a fair amount of red wine then buy a bottle of reasonably priced wine and call it a day.

Just promise me you won't buy any of those grocery shelf "cooking wines". They are absolutely gross.

I was also going to say vermouth for white, as long as it's a small quantity. If it's a significant ingredient then I wouldn't use it. Otherwise sauvignon blanc seems to be a standard choice. And sure, freeze what you don't use.

I'm glad Sharon said red wine is trickier because I never know what to buy if the varietal isn't specified! I'll usually go to a liquor store where they know what they're talking about, tell them what I'm cooking and ask for a reasonably priced recommendation.

I'm not a wine drinker but I like to cook with it. I buy the four packs of pinot grigio and pinot noire. They are about 8 or 10 ounces each and if I don't use the whole bottle it usually leaves a couple of swigs which I can handle.
James

I do the same as James does. At any given time I will have 4 to 8 little bottles of red and white wine. I buy one 4-pack of white and one 4-pack of red. While I don't drink wine, I do cook with all kinds of wine and spirits.

The other issue, Nancy, is that if you don't like wine, you very well may not like things sthat are cooked with wine in them. I don't care for most dishes with wine in them, from beef bourguigon to coq au vin, because I just don't like wine.

Same goes for beer, Elery ruined a perfectly good batch of chili by adding beer.

So, I've found that chicken broth is sometimes a suitable substitute for white wine and beef broth sometimes works in place of red wine. Sometimes there just isn't a way to substitute and make the dish, and so you're stuck. Those are dishes I don't care for anyway and so I don't make them.

Annie

Annie

I agree the little bottles (or boxes) are a good choice if you don't drink wine.
Once you try a few recipes, you'll learn whether or not to even use it (like Annie said), or to sub a broth.

I drink red wine, but keep a small box of white (Chardonnay, usually) in the fridge just in case I stumble upon a new recipe calling for it.

Freezing is an excellent option too.........but I usually just drink it! LOL

Deanna

May I jump in and ask about how long does wine keep once opened? A week, 2 weeks, a couple of days??? Does it last longer if kept in the fridge?
I never thought about freezing it...what an excellent idea.
Thanks for allowing me the interruption....
Murphy

But don't try to drink it after you have frozen it. Yuk!

We have a 'vacu vin' and keep reds/whites for a while in the fridge. I can't say how long they last, but a few weeks at the very least. We had a guest who brought a jeroboam (BIG bottle) of a red at Thanksgiving...I'm still using it for cooking, LOL.

Here is a link that might be useful: google vacu vin

I am going to be brave and slide in between all these experts with a wine suggestion which I urge you to try. About ten years ago a chef and close friend presented me with a bottle of Manischewitz Cream White Concord Wine. "You will probably not want to drink this stuff," he said. "But use it for deglazing and cooking. It adds marvelous flavor and just that touch of sweetness so often needed."

How right he was. It is always on my shelf and in constant use. An open bottle does not go bad or change flavor ever. It is a cheap wine which really adds that gourmet touch to food.

I definitely enjoy drinking dry white wine--never really developed an appreciation of red. I also love Manhattans on the rocks, gin and tonic, and Tom Collins. However, as I grow older I react to all alcohol with a bright red nose and cheeks, very watery eyes and can barely stay awake after one drink. I choose not to drink with others because I look so terrible and I drink alone only if something horrible has happened and I desperately want/need to dull my senses. I didn't even drink after the deaths of two of my Siberian huskies last year. I am looking for a wine to add a little "something" to a recipe. Cooked wine doesn't cause any reaction for me--guess I kill all the alcohol during cooking. That's great because I love Bacardi or Southern Comfort cake.
Nancy