Best White Wine for Cooking: What to Use and Avoid

The best white wine for cooking is a dry, crisp, unoaked white that you would happily drink, and a basic Sauvignon Blanc is the safest bet. It brings acidity and clean fruit to risotto, pan sauces and seafood without adding sweetness or bitter oak. You don’t need an expensive bottle, but you do need a sound one: cooking won’t fix a wine that tastes bad in the glass.

What makes a good cooking white

Three things matter more than the grape or the region:

• Dry, not sweet. Wine Enthusiast’s guide says that, unless a recipe asks for a fortified or dessert wine, the best cooking wines are dry. Choose Sauvignon Blanc over Sauternes.
• Unoaked. Heavily oaked wines can turn bitter when cooked, according to Wine Enthusiast. America’s Test Kitchen adds that heavily oaked Chardonnays “can dominate subtle flavors.”
• Fresh and fruity. Wine Spectator’s Dr. Vinny favors wines that lead with fruit rather than oak, because once the alcohol cooks off, the wine’s fruit and acidity are what stay in the dish.

America’s Test Kitchen sums it up as medium-bodied, non-oaked wines that aren’t too sweet, and for white wine it recommends clean, crisp, dry Sauvignon Blanc. Wine Enthusiast also suggests a medium-bodied dry white such as Vermentino for deglazing a pan after cooking chicken or pork.

Good choices	Why they work
Sauvignon Blanc	Dry and crisp; the white both America’s Test Kitchen and Dr. Vinny name
Vermentino	Medium-bodied and dry; Wine Enthusiast’s pan-sauce pick
Pinot Grigio	Light and neutral, easy to find
Unoaked Chardonnay	A little fuller, for creamy dishes
Dry vermouth	Keeps for months once opened (see substitutes below)

Our pick for a single all-purpose cooking white is an inexpensive Sauvignon Blanc.

White wines to avoid in the kitchen

• Sweet whites, such as Sauternes or sweet Riesling (America’s Test Kitchen names sweet Rieslings). Wine Enthusiast notes that reducing wine concentrates its sweetness and acidity, so a slightly sweet wine gets sweeter in the pan.
• Heavily oaked or “buttery” Chardonnay. Wine Enthusiast says to save it for drinking.
• Very aromatic wines for reductions. Wine Enthusiast’s example: if you find Gewürztraminer too floral to enjoy drinking, you won’t love it reduced into a savory dish.
• Wine you wouldn’t drink. Dr. Vinny’s rule is simple: don’t cook with a wine you wouldn’t drink. In our view, that rules out a bottle that smells musty, vinegary or flat because it has been open too long.
• Salted “cooking wine” from the condiment aisle. More on that next.

“Cooking wine” vs real wine

Bottles labeled cooking wine are not just cheap wine. Wine Spectator’s Dr. Vinny explains that cooking wine starts with wine made from grapes or grape concentrate, then has salt and preservatives added (he names potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulfite) to give it a longer shelf life, usually about a year. You find it near the vinegars and salad dressings.

The salt is the problem. Under federal rules, wine can be made unfit for drinking so it can be sold without beverage-wine tax, and salted wine must contain at least 1.5 grams of salt per 100 milliliters (27 CFR 24.215). That works out to more than 3.5 grams of salt in a single cup. The containers also have to be marked as not for sale or consumption as beverage wine. Dr. Vinny warns that cooking wine can add an unwanted salty or even metallic flavor to a dish.

Tip: If cooking wine is all you have, cut back the salt in the recipe and taste before seasoning at the end. We’d still choose a cheap bottle of real dry white, or dry vermouth, every time.

How to use white wine, dish by dish

Risotto. The wine goes in early, right after the rice is toasted. America’s Test Kitchen’s saffron risotto cooks the rice until the edges of the grains turn translucent, about 4 minutes, then adds 1 cup of dry white wine and cooks until the rice has absorbed it, about 2 minutes, before the broth goes in. We’d keep it simple: a crisp Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio suits almost any risotto.

Pan sauces. Deglazing means pouring liquid into a hot pan to lift the browned bits (the fond) stuck to the bottom. Wine Enthusiast notes that wine bonds with both fat and water, so it can pick up more of the fond than broth or water. Add a splash after searing chicken, pork or fish, scrape, then let it bubble down before adding stock or butter.

Seafood. Steamed mussels are the classic. America’s Test Kitchen’s version for two softens a shallot and garlic in butter, adds ⅔ cup of dry white wine and a bay leaf, simmers for about 2 minutes, then steams 2 pounds of mussels until they open, 3 to 7 minutes. We’d use the same crisp white for shrimp, clams and white fish. For what to pour alongside, see our guide to wine with salmon.

Cream sauces. Here the wine’s acidity balances the richness. The same mussel recipe finishes the wine broth with heavy cream and butter, simmered about a minute until slightly thickened. In our view, an unoaked Chardonnay or a Pinot Grigio works best under cream, and the rule is to let the wine reduce before the cream goes in.

Braises. White wine isn’t only for fish. Wine Enthusiast points out that you can braise red meat in white wine too. For beef stews and ragù, though, see our guide to the best red wine for cooking.

Substitutes for white wine

Substitute	How to use it
Dry vermouth	Same amount as the wine. America’s Test Kitchen prefers subtler floral or citrus styles, because strongly botanical vermouths can take over a dish.
Broth plus acid	Chicken or vegetable broth. For every ½ cup of broth, stir in ½ teaspoon of white wine vinegar or lemon juice just before serving (America’s Test Kitchen).
Water or broth alone	Fine for deglazing in a pinch, says Wine Enthusiast, but you lose the acidity.

Dry vermouth is our favorite backup. America’s Test Kitchen notes that it is fortified, so an opened bottle keeps in the fridge for weeks or even months. Wine Enthusiast’s guide adds that vermouth needs to be stored in the fridge.

Buying, storing and leftovers

• Box wine is worth considering if you cook with wine often. America’s Test Kitchen likes it because the bag collapses as you pour, keeping air out, and Dr. Vinny says a refrigerated box can last a month or so once opened. Our best box wine list has options.
• An open bottle keeps in the fridge for about a week, maybe more, according to Dr. Vinny. Our guide to how long wine lasts after opening covers each style.
• Freeze the rest. America’s Test Kitchen pours 1 tablespoon of wine into each well of an ice cube tray, freezes it, then stores the cubes in a zipper-lock bag to drop into sauces.

Note: Cooking does not remove all the alcohol. USDA figures show a dish simmered and stirred for 30 minutes still keeps about 35% of its alcohol. The full table is in our red wine for cooking guide. If someone at the table avoids alcohol, use one of the alcohol-free substitutes above.