Substitute for Wine in Cooking

Wine adds acidity, fruit and, in red wine, tannin and color; its alcohol also dissolves aroma compounds that water cannot. In most recipes it is also simply the cooking liquid. A good substitute replaces the liquid and the acidity first; the fruit and color come second. Nebraska Extension’s substitution chart gives grape or cranberry juice for red wine and apple or white grape juice for white, at the same amount.

Deglazing and pan sauces

After searing meat, wine lifts the browned bits and reduces to a sauce. Stock with a little wine vinegar does the same job and stays savory. Reduce it by half as you would wine, then finish with butter or cream. Juice also deglazes, but it reduces to something sweeter and browns faster, so keep the heat moderate.

Braises and stews

Beef bourguignon, coq au vin and red-wine short ribs use a full bottle, so the substitute shapes the whole dish. Non-alcoholic red wine keeps the character best. Red grape or cranberry juice sharpened with vinegar, mixed half-and-half with beef stock, gives color without making the stew taste like dessert. A spoonful of tomato paste adds back some of the depth tannin provides.

Risotto, seafood and cream sauces

The splash of white wine in risotto, steamed mussels or chicken with mushrooms is mostly about acidity. Stock with white wine vinegar or a squeeze of lemon at the end handles it. Dry vermouth works when alcohol is fine.

Desserts and poaching

Wine-poached pears and red wine syrups need body and sweetness, so juice works better here than in savory food. Leave out the vinegar and hold back some of the recipe’s sugar, tasting as the syrup reduces.

When not to substitute

If alcohol must be avoided for health, religious or recovery reasons, do not rely on cooking to remove it. In the USDA table, alcohol stirred into a dish and simmered or baked for 2½ hours still keeps about 5% of its alcohol, and after 30 minutes about 35%. Use an alcohol-free swap from the start.

Dishes where wine is the main flavor, such as zabaglione, sangria-style poached fruit or a red wine reduction for steak, become different dishes with juice.

Common mistakes

• Using sweet juice without acid. Savory sauces turn sugary; the vinegar is not optional.
• Reducing salted stock or cooking wine hard. The salt concentrates and the sauce turns harsh.
• Assuming flambéing burns off the alcohol. Most of it stays in the pan.
• Picking an oaky or sweet wine. Reduction exaggerates bitterness and sugar alike.