Recipe Update .......red wine for cooking

[Katy]

I have a recipe I want to make. It calls for a dry red wine. Is a merlot a dry wine? I don't drink wine so I know diddly about them. My daughter gave me a bottle of merlot for Christmas because she knew I'd like the label and I was wondering if I could use that.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Merlot would work just fine. What are you making?

 

[Katy]

Thanks!

I want to make Beef Braised with Red Wine. I saw it on the Everyday Food show today and it looked very tasty. It's like a stew with mushrooms, carrots, pearl onions, etc.

 

[Burbs]

Taste it before you cook with it. If its is sweet don't use it. Some merlots are not dry.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
I hate all wines.....will it be easy to tell if it's sweet or not? I don't want to have to try too much of it!!

 

[Burbs]

You should be able to tell easily........it is kind of like the difference between sweetened and unsweetened tea.

 

[Burbs]

What vineyard is it from?

 

[Katy]

It's not an expensive wine.....she bought it because she knew I'd like the label. It's a bottle of Holy Cow wine from Charles Smith Vineyard in WA

 

[Burbs]

I just wanted to look up the tasting notes so I could help you out better.
Here they are:

"Charles Smith Wines 2006 "Holy Cow" Columbia Valley Merlot ($12.99)

Dark ruby, reddish-violet glints. Ripe aromas of tart red cherries and a whiff of smoke. The wine maker's Web notes suggest "pipe tobacco," and I can see that, maybe, if we're thinking in terms of that cherry-scented smoke that was the rage back in the '70s. Excellent sour-cherry fruit and subtle earth, very well structured with mouth-watering acidity and soft but perceptible tannins. (Jan. 30, 2008)

FOOD MATCH: It made a surprisingly good red-wine match with a vegetarian risotto with mushrooms, fresh spinach and Pecorino Romano cheese. I had hoped to try it on a second night with a more traditional match of rare rib eye steak, but the wine didn't hang around long enough for me to find out.

VALUE: The lower teens price tag is a no-brainer for a well-structured Merlot that's good bordering on excellent, but the value diminishes if you're planning to keep it more than one night.

WHEN TO DRINK: The wine's remarkably quick fade in the open bottle makes me dubious about holding it for any extended period. Drink up!

WEB LINK:
You'll find brief information about the winery and its wines on the K Vintners Website:
http://www.charlessmithwines.com"


It will work fine for what you cooking.

 

[Katy]

Cool....didn't even think about looking for a website. Thanks for your help.