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National Drink Wine Day
National Wine Day 2020 has even more significance, as we have all been uncorking more bottles on lockdown than perhaps we would ordinarily. Whether they enjoy a cabernet sauvignon, a Barolo, or a Gewürztraminer, social media is full of people posting about how wine is getting them through the lockdown.
As for cooking with wine, there is so much depth of flavour to be had from adding wine to your food. Red wine can be used as a marinade or to enrich a meat sauce, adding a rich layer of base note flavour. Cooking with red wine is perfect for autumnal dishes, for casseroles, stews and red wine pot roasts. Try a spaghetti meat sauce enhanced with red wine and taste the difference. A good Italian red wine vinaigrette recipe is something you will go back to again and again. White wine is great for risottos, for deglazing pans and reductions, for cooking off in meat and vegetable dishes, and for making a base for almost any sauce. Sweet or dry, depending on your taste, with cream or tomato-based sauces, it is one of the most versatile ingredients around.
Wine Food, Food Wine
For wine recipes, it doesn’t have to be fancy. You can use the simplest of ingredients, but with wine food is just better, and the flavour more pronounced than with non-wine recipes.
Chicken Marsala uses a Sicilian fortified wine called Marsala, which is not unlike sherry or Madeira. It gives the Marsala sauce its unmistakable sweet and strong flavour. Chicken Madeira follows a similar recipe but substitutes the Marsala wine for Madeira.
Apart from its uses with food, wine is for drinking and enjoying as it is. A good red Sangria recipe transforms an ordinary bottle of red wine into a summery, fruity explosion of refreshing flavour, perfect for a summer evening or when entertaining.
How many calories are there in a glass of wine?
Wine is not as calorific as you might think. Red wine’s calorie count per glass (about 148gr serving) is just 125 calories. White wine’s calorie count per glass is slightly less at 120 calories. So there are no excuses to not enjoy a glass of red or white wine on national drink wine day.
