What is the standard amount (if there is one) for a “glass” of wine?

Question

I have seen wine poured to various amounts in a wine glass; what amount is generally considered standard...4 oz, 6 oz, 8 oz?

Asked by Melanie

Answer

It comes from two different measurements, typical wine bottle size, and government alcohol regulations

Typical wine bottles are 750 ml, and this divides exactly into five servings of 150 ml. So many traditional wine glass serves are exactly 150 ml (~5 oz)

For typical government regulation, a standard drink is; a 100 ml glass of table wine, or a 330 ml can of beer, or a 30 ml glass of straight spirits. Each of these contains on average 10 g of alcohol. So many liquor licensing guidelines recommend the serving of wine by 100 ml (3.5 oz) standard drink sizes

Governments will use this to produce such amazing guidelines such as:

For women: Two standard drinks a day, and no more than ten standard drinks a week
For men: Three standard drinks a day, and no more than fifteen standard drinks a week
And for both at least two alcohol-free days every week

In most western countries the standard drink range is from 8 to 12 g of alcohol, except in the USA where it is super-sized to 14 g

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Update; references from ICAP

• Standard drink sizes
• Drink Guidlines

Answered by TFD

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Why do English recipes of “sauce marchand de vin” call for Worcestershire sauce?

Question

The “sauce marchand de vin” is a French red wine thick sauce typically served with meat. Its recipe in my French cookbooks call for two main ingredients: red wine and brown stock. It also uses shallots, butter, flour and black pepper, but I understand the two ingredients cited previously are the main ones.

However, many recipes I can find online (here and there, for example) on English-speaking websites add Worcestershire sauce. Not all of them do, but I still wonder: what purpose does this extra Worcestershire sauce add? I'm not too familiar with it, but if I understand it might bring some spiciness (already somewhat covered by black pepper).

So, what do you think it brings to the recipe and overall taste?

Asked by F'x

Answer

Worcestershire Sauce is added where the recipe wants a fast way to develop or add savoury richness, umami.

It's often used where umami would develop over time with slow careful cooking (and heavy bottomed pans). Adding this extra ingredient is a good cheat where you just want that kick without the wait.

Answered by vwiggins

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Should I warm wine in the microwave?

Question

Although warming wine in the microwave might seem like a "horrible" thing to do it clearly has some practical benefits.

So will the microwave change the aroma of the wine compared to the conventional way or is it fine to do this**.

_{** Maybe before the guests arrive}

Asked by Besi

Answer

No, it won't change the aroma compared to conventional heating.

Generally, heating does change aroma. But it changes in the same way in conventional heating and in microwave heating (given that you heat to the same internal temperature, which can be very different time and power settings for different types of heating devices).

What microwaves change is texture. That's why the microwave is considered "a horrible thing" among chefs. You can't bake doughs or batters in it, and other things like vegetables can also suffer. Then there is the problem with uneven heating. None of these factors matter with liquids. You can warm milk, wine, whatever, in the microwave, without fearing a taste change.

Answered by rumtscho

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What type of sherry is typically used when cooking?

Question

Not having used sherry before, what is the type used when a recipe just calls for "sherry"? I see cream sherry, dry sherry, and very dry sherry at my local grocery store. Does brand matter much?

Asked by hobodave

Answer

Cream sherry is very sweet - likely too sweet for most recipes that don't explicitly mention it.

If a recipe simply calls for "sherry", it usually means dry sherry, as that's the most common kind of available. In fact, I don't think I've ever even seen "very dry" around here. So I would definitely stick with the dry.

As for brand, I believe that sherry is the brand (somebody correct me if I'm wrong). If you see several different bottles all labeled sherry, I don't think it matters too much which one you pick - at least if you're using it for cooking and not drinking.

P.S. If you're using this as a substitute for rice wine, the commonly-accepted substitute is indeed dry sherry.

Answered by Aaronut

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Need to refrigerate vinaigrette?

Question

I've made a red-wine vinaigrette dressing using olive oil (which makes up the majority of the dressing), red wine, garlic, and basil.

My problem is that whenever I take it out of the refrigerator, especially when it gets low, the olive-oil leaves it practically solid. I understand that this is normal for olive oil, but it is rather annoying having to get it out 30 minutes before I make a salad or a sandwich (as I don't normally have that kind of time).

My question is, since everything in there but the garlic doesn't need to be refrigerated, is it safe to leave it out of the fridge and let it stand at room temperature? Or is it like all other (store-bought) dressing where after opening (mixing) it requires refrigeration?

Asked by Mike S

Answer

Yes, you should refrigerate it.

Once a commercially bottled dressing is exposed to the air it is contaminated. Your homemade dressing is no different, and is likely more contaminated to begin with. The bottom line is that your dressing is food -- for humans, bacteria, and mold. It might not be the most hospitable of environments, but something is bound to find a home there. This process is arrested by refrigeration. Additionally, the garlic and basil will be going through a decay process that would be delayed by refrigeration.

I'm not sure what kind of olive oil you used, but I've never had a vinaigrette turn solid in the refrigerator. If you're in a rush I'd suggest submerging, or running hot water over the bottle you store it in to quickly thaw it. You'll shorten the shelf life, but if you're using it frequently enough (used all in less than a month) that shouldn't matter.

Answered by hobodave

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Is it okay for cork to look a bit “moldy”?

Question

I just opened a bottle of "white red wine" (a Blanc de Noirs) from 2010. I must confess, I really don't know much about wine.

The cork looks weird to me, as if it was "moldy". It's a bit blueish-green around the edges. The wine smells pretty good, and the cork doesn't smell bad as well.

Is there anything to worry about?

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The cork looks like this – click to enlarge:

Answer

The cork is normal. Over time, some of the pigment chemicals will embed themselves in the surface of the cork, starting by the edges. To my eye, the resulting zone has a bluish brown color. For a full red, the cork will turn a brown-purple, and eventually black. All of this should have no relationship to whether the wine is still good.

Some things to look for that will signal a bad bottle:

• A change in color of the wine (e.g., pale yellow turning deep gold)
• Indications that air entered the bottle or wine leaked out
• The smell or taste of wet cardboard in the wine
• An ammonia-like smell from the wine
• A vinegar taste

Hopefully none of these applied to your wine.

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What's an inexpensive substitute for Port wine?

Question

Is there a good substitute for port? It's for a slow cooked pork loin recipe. I'm not concerned about the alcohol, but I would like to keep the cost down.

Answer

Decent port is not necessarily expensive; you may find yourself spending more on the meat. For example, Sandeman's Founders Reserve 750 ml runs about US$15 before taxes, Dow's Fine Tawny 750 ml is about US$13, and Graham's Six Grapes Ruby 750 ml is about US$8 (and this is just the start of the list). These are, perhaps, not the connoisseur's choices, but they are hardly undrinkable. Depending on the laws where you live, you (or your favorite wine shop) can order any of these online from a variety of sources.

Port has a unique character that is not easy to replicate with any other wine or fortified wine. If you are trying to replicate a result, do not substitute. If you really want something else that will serve the same role even if it will taste different, I would look to a Madeira, a cream sherry, or sweet Marsala (depending on your tastes).

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What is a more common substitute for Shaoxing cooking wine?

Question

I have never cooked with Shaoxing wine, so I'm not sure what would be its best substitute.

Answer

Pale Dry Sherry.

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/cookingfaqs/qt/rice_wine_sub.htm

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Way to fix sharp tasting sauce

Question

I've made a sauce with some white wine (with cream & tarragon) but it's really sharp (prob the wine was a bit old, or I didn't boil it off well enough - is there any way to fix it? and what's the most likely cause?

Answer

If "sharp" means too much alcohol left, bring it back to a simmer and cook off more of it, then adjust with more cream if needed.

If "sharp" means too acidic, your options are:

(1) add more cream and other ingredients to dilute the acid (2) try to mask the acid with a bit of sugar (3) I guess you could try to neutralize the acid with a very small amount of something basic, like baking soda. But that seems like a bad idea, it will probably taste terrible.

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What is more difficult to make: beer or wine? [closed]

Question

I would like to know, in your opinion, what is harder to produce: wine or beer. I mean, including all the steps: planting grapes or barley, taking care of them, collecting, making, etc... the whole process :)

Answer

I haven't done it myself, but I guess making beer is more difficult for one good reason: safety!

Grapes will ferment by themselves and will produce either wine or vinegar. The fermentation process is violent, so there's no risk. Added meat will be fermented as well!

Beer needs to be sterilized before a yeast is added and there's a risk for butulism.

Now, making a good wine is something else. I guess that making a good wine is far more complicated then making a decent beer, once you overcome the safety issues, as there are a great number of steps involved in making good wine. For instance: aging in oak.

Commercial wines start by sterilizing the grapes and afterwards adding a certain yeast strain, but hey...

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What is a substitute for red or white wine in a recipe?

Question

If someone cannot or will not use wine for cooking, what would be a good substitute?

Question applies to both red and white wine.

Answer

For white wine, try:

• chicken broth/stock
• vegetable stock
• white grape juice
• ginger ale
• canned mushroom liquid
• diluted white wine or cider vinegar

For red wine, try:

• beef or chicken broth/stock
• diluted red wine vinegar
• red grape juice
• tomato juice
• canned mushroom liquid

A great list of substitutions for cooking with various alcoholic ingredients may be found here.

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Wondering if the bottle of wine I have is still good or not?

Question

During my move to a new place, I found a bottle of wine that I had kept in my refrigerator that was dated 2004. It was still sealed, didnt' look like anything was floating around inside, and for all intensive purposes looked to be an average bottle of red wine that you'd find at your typical liquor store. However I'm wondering if it's still any good or not, and if there was a way to check outside of opening it and taking a swig.

Answer

That's the thing about wine. You never know until you taste it. It might be a pleasant surprise or it might be swill. That's actually part of the fun of trying wine.

But generally speaking, if it was nothing special 2004 it won't be better now. Wines that are worth "waiting for" are noticeably outstanding even when they're new (they might need more decanting early in their life).

Just try it... but have a back-up bottle!

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What’s a good alternative to rice wine vinegar?

Question

I find it difficult to source rice wine vinegar for recipes. I can usually find “rice vinegar“, “rice wine”, and “white wine vinegar”, but not specifically “rice wine vinegar”.

Can I use any of the above ingredients, or anything else, as an alternative?

Answer

First off, I suspect that 'rice wine vinegar' and 'rice vinegar' are the same thing. Secondly, rice wine vinegar comes in two basic kinds, there is a dark vinegar and a white (yellow) vinegar. The dark vinegar has more flavour than the white version. However, both are relatively low in flavour compared to other vinegar alternatives.

To replace a white rice wine vinegar I would suggest using another low flavour vinegar. One with a white colour. In the UK there is a kind of clear vinegar usually labeled as 'non-brewed condiment' which should make an adequate substitute though I'd suggest using a smaller than normal quantity as it is stronger than most other vinegars. Another alternative would be a clear malt vinegar which will be close though not absolutely the same. Again you may need to reduce the quantity to match the strength.

To replace the dark rice wine vinegar is more tricky. My first suggestion is to try a dark malt vinegar as a replacement.

If you want to try to source the real thing, you might not find it in some UK supermarkets. However, almost every large city in the UK has a China town which will contain a Chinese supermarket where you can stock up on any items you might need. Failing that, try asking at your local Chinese restaurant or take-a-way. They might be able to point you to a supplier. Lastly there are online suppliers in the UK if you google you should be able to find one.

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How to make red wine sauce?

Question

I have tried to make red wine sauce using this recipe, but it didn't end up so well.

One problem was this step:

Bring to a boil and let boil boil over high heat until mixture is reduced to a thin layer in bottom of saucepan.

How much is a "thin layer"?

Ideally, I would like to see a movie of how it should be done, but YouTube doesn't have such.

Does anyone know a recipe that is explained more in detail?

Answer

If the problem you're having is that it is too watery (I assume that's what you mean by "too thin"), there might be two causes:

1. The recipe you linked to calls for a sizable amount of stock/broth, relative to the wine. It might be assuming that you have something closer to homemade stock, which has a high concentration of gelatin, as opposed to store-brought "broth", which is more like meat-flavoured juice.

2. You might not have reduced it enough. A "thin layer" could mean anything, but it's not thickness you're concerned about, it's viscosity. When the sauce has been reduced enough, it should have the consistency of... sauce. As in thick, sticky, and slow-moving. If it still looks and pours like water, it's not reduced enough.

On the subject of taste, there's also the question of which wine you use. The wine sauce is going to taste like the wine (stronger, actually), which is one of the reasons why chefs will tell you not to cook with any wine that you wouldn't drink.

It's pretty easy to make a reduction - just continue to let water boil off until it turns into the consistency you want. If you overdo it, you can always add a little extra wine to compensate.

As noted in the comment clarification - if you're simmering at a reasonable temperature, expect to wait at least an hour, and for no less than half the water to evaporate.

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