Sweet Wine Substitute - Help Request !!!!!!!!!!

You don't say what the recipe is for. Grape juice would be my first guess for a non-alcoholic
substitute for sweet wine, but knowing what the finished product is supposed to be is a prerequisite
for any answer.

--Lia

Musky said:

Hello,

I am making a recipe which calls for 'Sweet Wine' is there a substitute without alcohol I can use
for this item ??

Thank you !

Signed:

Rookie In The Kitchen 🙂

Hello Julia,

Well, this is a strange one, but I bought a book called "Roman Cookery" by Mark Grant from Amazon.
Yup, u guessed it, ancient-roman meals. Many of them call for a 'Sweet Wine' to be used. In this
case, it is for a meal called:

"Hare In A Sweet Sauce"

It states:

"1/2 pint sweet white wine.....you need the sweetest dessert wine you can find to give the dish the
sweet and sour flavour of which the Romans were so fond."

So there you have it. An unusual meal; but should be fun to make and eat during the Christmas
holidays 🙂

Cordially,

MK

"Julia Altshuler" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:J_4Eb.73076$8y1.274259@attbi_s52...

Quoted message said:

You don't say what the recipe is for. Grape juice would be my first guess for a non-alcoholic
substitute for sweet wine, but knowing what the finished product is supposed to be is a
prerequisite for any answer.

--Lia

Musky said:

Hello,

I am making a recipe which calls for 'Sweet Wine' is there a substitute without alcohol I can
use for this item ??

Thank you !

Signed:

Rookie In The Kitchen 🙂

Musky said:

Hello,

I am making a recipe which calls for 'Sweet Wine' is there a substitute without alcohol I can use
for this item ??

Thank you !

Signed:

Rookie In The Kitchen 🙂

Concord grape juice. Manischevitz is one brand.

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

In that case, you definitely want grape juice. I'd say Welch's red, but the color is up for
debate. --Lia

Musky said:

Well, this is a strange one, but I bought a book called "Roman Cookery" by Mark Grant from Amazon.
Yup, u guessed it, ancient-roman meals. Many of them call for a 'Sweet Wine' to be used. In this
case, it is for a meal called:

"Hare In A Sweet Sauce"

It states:

"1/2 pint sweet white wine.....you need the sweetest dessert wine you can find to give the dish
the sweet and sour flavour of which the Romans were so fond."

On Wed, 17 Dec 2003 22:34:36 GMT, "Musky Killer"

spkevans([email protected] said:

I am making a recipe which calls for 'Sweet Wine' is there a substitute without alcohol I can use
for this item ??

There are many non-alcoholic wines on the shelves. Some cold duck or spumante comes to mind (just
the latter today). You shouldn't need to worry wbout cooking with wine as almost all of the alcohol
evaporates, leaving about as much alcohol as you'd find in bread.

-sw

Quoted message said:

You shouldn't need to worry wbout cooking with wine as almost all of the alcohol evaporates,
leaving about as much alcohol as you'd find in bread.

And if you're worried about alcohol residues, you'll have to give up vanilla extract, as well.

In rec.food.cooking Musky Killer spkevans([email protected] said:

Hello,

Quoted message said:

I am making a recipe which calls for 'Sweet Wine' is there a substitute without alcohol I can use
for this item ??

Probably grape juice, but it really depends on the recipe.

Steve Wertz said:

... You shouldn't need to worry wbout cooking with wine as almost all of the alcohol evaporates,
leaving about as much alcohol as you'd find in bread.

That's what I thought too, until a thread here, citing actual tests, showed otherwise. I don't see
much alcohol surviving a serious reduction, but most of the alcohol in wine to flavor stews and for
ordinary deglazing stays in the pot. What we hadn't figured on is the strong affinity that water and
alcohol have for each other. Although alcohol might evaporate by itself, it doesn't easily separate
from water.

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

When people like the original poster say they're looking for an alcohol-free substitute, they can
have 2 reasons in mind. They might be thinking of health and nutrition concerns, or they might be
thinking of religious issues.

If it is a matter of health and nutrition, I'm glad to point out that the alcohol evaporates out
during cooking so they have nothing to worry about. I get interested in exactly how much alcohol is
left and how that compares with amounts in vanilla extract or bread.

But if the underlying reason is religious, I have to stop and assume the person knows the tenets of
his/her religion better than I do. I'm sure it doesn't make sense to me, but I'm not here to point
out that I think their religion is senseless. Pointing out that the alcohol evaporates out of the
wine would be like pointing out that there's no pork left on the dish after it has been washed. They
know that.

--Lia

In rec.food.cooking Musky Killer spkevans([email protected] said:

It states:

Quoted message said:

"1/2 pint sweet white wine.....you need the sweetest dessert wine you can find to give the dish
the sweet and sour flavour of which the Romans were so fond."

Quoted message said:

So there you have it. An unusual meal; but should be fun to make and eat during the Christmas
holidays 🙂

So why not buy a bottle of a sweet white dessert wine? Is there someone who will be eating the dish
who has a problem with alcohol? If not, then there really is no reason not to use the recommended
kind of wine. If you do have someone who has trouble with alcohol, then white grapejuice might work,
but it certainly won't be the same as if you used a sweet white wine.

Julia Altshuler said:

In that case, you definitely want grape juice. I'd say Welch's red, but the color is up for
debate. --Lia

Musky said:

Well, this is a strange one, but I bought a book called "Roman Cookery" by Mark Grant from
Amazon. Yup, u guessed it, ancient-roman meals. Many of them call for a 'Sweet Wine' to be used.
In this case, it is for a meal called:

"Hare In A Sweet Sauce"

It states:

"1/2 pint sweet white wine.....you need the sweetest dessert wine you can find to give the dish
the sweet and sour flavour of which the Romans were so fond."

Grape juice? Manischewitz? Ugh! They're yucky and they're purple! Try a Riesling or Vidal ice wine,
or a Vignoles or Ravat (the latter two are different names for the same grape).Make sure the
residual sugar is 3% or more (ask the wine-store staff). They're all sweet white wines with a good
acid balance, and would be wonderful for cooking rabbit.

Cheers! Peg

x-no-archive: yes

When I see this question come up, I always wonder whether anyone has tried marketing something
like alcohol free, wine concentrates for cooking. It seems like there could be a fairly good
market for that.

Naomi D.

(Naomi Darvell) said:

x-no-archive: yes

When I see this question come up, I always wonder whether anyone has tried marketing something
like alcohol free, wine concentrates for cooking. It seems like there could be a fairly good
market for that.

Naomi D.

There are alcohol free wines. Graham Kerr used them after swearing off the hard stuff. I do not know
of any by name.
--
Susan N.

There are 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary and those who do not.

Jerry Avins said:

Steve Wertz said:

... You shouldn't need to worry wbout cooking with wine as almost all of the alcohol
evaporates, leaving about as much alcohol as you'd find in bread.

That's what I thought too, until a thread here, citing actual tests, showed otherwise. I don't see
much alcohol surviving a serious reduction, but most of the alcohol in wine to flavor stews and for
ordinary deglazing stays in the pot. What we hadn't figured on is the strong affinity that water
and alcohol have for each other. Although alcohol might evaporate by itself, it doesn't easily
separate from water.

Whatever. The point is that if someone wishes to cook *without* alcohol, the answer isn't "oh, well,
it goes away, mostly." That wasn't the question. Substitutes for "sweet wine" might include white or
purple grape juice, apple cider/juice, or other fruit juices.

Naomi Darvell said:

x-no-archive: yes

When I see this question come up, I always wonder whether anyone has tried marketing something
like alcohol free, wine concentrates for cooking. It seems like there could be a fairly good
market for that.

Naomi D.

You can buy sherry flavoring. McCormick (sp?) sells it.

Bert

If it is a cooked recipe, the alcohol will evaporate during the cooking process so it's moot whether
it starts with alcohol or not. Some people claim that even a few parts-per-million order of
magnitude residue would be unacceptable but that defys both common sense and basic biochemistry and
pharmacology 101 and I simply don't buy it. Even your basic fresh squeezed orange juice or nice
crispy apple contains a slight trace of ethanol. If it's not going to be cooked, then a de-
alcoholized wine could be used.

"Musky Killer" <spkevans(NOSPAM]@rogers.com> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I am making a recipe which calls for 'Sweet Wine' is there a

substitute

Quoted message said:

without alcohol I can use for this item ??

Thank you !

Signed:

Rookie In The Kitchen 🙂

"Steve House" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

If it is a cooked recipe, the alcohol will evaporate during the cooking process so it's moot
whether it starts with alcohol or not. Some people claim that even a few parts-per-million order
of magnitude residue would be unacceptable but that defys both common sense and basic biochemistry
and pharmacology 101 and I simply don't buy it.

But there may be more than a few parts per million. See below. Ed [email hidden]
pages.cthome.netedhomeOpen ↗

But, what about cooking with alcohol? This seems to be of concern to some of you as we occasionally
call for alcohol in our cooking -- it's an excellent way to add flavor to foods. Most, but not all
of the alcohol disappears, or evaporates, leaving few calories.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has published the following table of alcohol content in cooked
foods. Our dietitian uses this information in determining the nutritional analysis and exchanges of
any recipe in which we call for alcohol. You might find the results interesting and helpful in your
cooking of other recipes which include alcohol.

preparation method percent retained

alcohol added to boiling liquid & removed from heat 85%

alcohol flamed 75%

no heat, stored overnight 70%

baked, 25 minutes, alcohol not stirred into mixture 45%

baked/simmered, alcohol stirred into mixture

15 minutes 40%

30 minutes 35%

1 hour 25%

1.5 hours 20%

2 hours 10%

2.5 hours 5%

What if you and/or your doctor decides that you should not cook with alcohol -- what substitutions
can you make in our recipes and that of others which call for wine, beer, etc.

In savory dishes for each cup (240 ml) of wine in the recipe, substitute 7/8 cup (210 ml) of fat-
free low-sodium chicken, beef, vegetable broth, apple juice, white grape juice, or tomato juice,
with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice or vinegar.

In desserts, substitute fruit juice for the wine, adding a dash of balsamic vinegar to the juice.

For orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier, use an equivalent amount of frozen orange juice
concentrate plus some grated orange zest.

For coffee liqueur, use double-strength espresso or instant coffee made with 4 to 6 times the amount
of coffee normally used.

For brandy or rum, try a small amount of brandy or rum extract, or pure vanilla extract.

The point the OP may be making is mine which is why I happened on this thread via Google. I don't like sweet wine, I'm interested in making a chicken liver pate which calls for Madera, Port or Brandy. I don't like any of these and don't want to buy a bottle, use two TBS and have the rest turn to vinegar. (Well, except for the brandy, which would only be used if I had a dinner date which isn't likely to happen in the near future).

So grape juice it is, although a Pinot Noir (which is WAY not sweet) would be more convenient.

Actually, the process to get the Vanilla Bean is more important.
Often in health food stores Vanilla is extracted in many ways.
Or there is The BEAN itself which can be purchased fresh,
slit and scrapped. That would be the best flavor. Please
think FRESH INGREDIENTS and not what it is a bottle.
ck