No Alcohol No Sweat

Wine is not just for drinking, folks. No, you can use it for eating too, by cooking with it. Who knew? Oh, everyone. Okay then. But what about cooking with non-alcoholic wine?

As the production techniques of non-alcoholic wines improve, the resulting wines retain more and more of the flavour profiles of their traditional counterparts. That means that not only do you get a similar experience to alcoholic wine when drinking them (minus the hangover), you can also use them in many of the same ways in cooking to add flavour, aroma and depth to a wide range of dishes. From stews and sauces, to marinades and desserts. Indeed, pretty much any dish that needs wine, you can substitute in an NA wine alternative and get pretty much the same result.

However, because there is no alcohol in NA wines, there are a few little adjustments to consider when using them to cook with.

Adjusting quantities

Cooking with non-alcoholic wine may require some adjustments when compared to traditional alcoholic wines. This is primarily because the alcohol content in wine serves multiple purposes in cooking. These include:

• Flavour enhancement: Alcohol can carry and intensify flavours, giving dishes a rich and complex taste profile. Non-alcoholic wine obviously lack this attribute, so you will need to make adjustment in order to achieve the desired taste.
• Tenderising: When traditional wine is used in meat dishes, often one of the functions of the alcohol is to help break down fibres in the meat, making it more tender. You may need to compensate for this function when using non-alcoholic wine.
• Evaporation: Alcohol evaporates during cooking, leaving behind concentrated flavours. Non-alcoholic wine does not undergo this process, which might affect the final taste.

So, when cooking with non-alcoholic wine, consider the following adjustments:

• Increase quantity: To compensate for the absence of alcohol-induced flavour and evaporation, you may need to use slightly more non-alcoholic wine compared to traditional wine. However, start with a conservative increase and adjust based on taste as you go.
• Enhance flavour: Since non-alcoholic wine might lack the intensity of traditional wine, consider boosting the dish’s overall flavour profile with additional herbs, spices, or other aromatic ingredients.
• Tenderising agents: Since non-alcoholic wine lacks alcohol’s tenderising effect, consider marinating meat before cooking. This starts to tenderise the meat before you start actually preparing the dish.
• Concentration techniques: If the dish’s taste lacks depth, experiment with techniques like reduction to concentrate flavours, just as you would with traditional wine. You might just need to go that little bit further to get the desired result.

The sweet sensation

A notable characteristic that tends to set non-alcoholic wine apart from its alcoholic counterpart is a slightly sweeter taste profile. This inherent sweetness is a result of the production process used to remove alcohol while retaining the wine’s flavours. While this sweetness can be a nice aspect when drinking non-alcoholic wine, it can have an impact when incorporated into cooking.

Understanding the sweetness factor

The sweetness in non-alcoholic wine stems from the residual sugars that remain after the alcohol is removed. These sugars, which in traditional wine-making are transformed into alcohol during fermentation, are responsible for NA wine’s slight sweetness in varietals compared to their traditional alcoholic cousins. This natural sweetness can of course be an asset in both sweet and savoury dishes, but it also means you need a bit of nuance when adjusting quantities in recipes that don’t make a benefit out of the sweeter end of the taste spectrum.

Making adjustments

When using non-alcoholic wine in savoury dishes, the subtle sweetness can play a dual role. It can enhance the overall flavour profile by complementing the dish’s other ingredients. In sweet dishes, it can actually mean you need to use less actual sugar or other sweetening ingredient than the recipe suggests. In savoury dishes, however, it can create an imbalance if not managed carefully.

• Recipe adaptation: Given that non-alcoholic wine tends to be slightly sweeter, it’s advisable to start with a smaller quantity than you would with traditional wine. This prevents the dish from becoming overly sweet and allows you to adjust to your desired taste gradually. If you need a certain amount of liquid in the dish, consider topping up with water.
• Balance with acidity: To counterbalance the sweetness, you might want to incorporate acidic ingredients. Think vinegar, lemon juice or tomatoes (depending on the dish, of course). These elements not only enhance the dish’s flavour complexity but can also counteract the sweetness.
• Experimentation: As you experiment with non-alcoholic wine in savoury dishes, be prepared to make incremental adjustments. That way you’ll find the ideal balance that suits your palate and the specific dish you’re preparing.

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So there you have it. With a little bit of know-how and a softly, softly approach to adding NA wine – bearing in mind its lack of alcohol and tendency to have a slightly sweeter taste profile – you can have non-alcoholic meals to accompany your glass of non-alcoholic wine.

Would it be too cheesy to sign off with a bon appetit?

It would? Oh, okay then.

_{Image credit: Stefan Johnson}