The Best Culinary Uses For Sweet Wines Are All About Balance

Chefs have cooked with wine throughout history and, over the years, each type of wine has established its own unique application in the kitchen. Sweet wines, though often enjoyed as a beverage, can have a seat at the dinner table in many recipes as well. The trick is to use them in a balanced way.

We asked Antonio Morichini, chef and owner of the Michelin-recommended restaurant Via Vai in Queens, New York, about using sweet wines in cooking. "usually sweet wine is for sauces, like using Marsala or port to make sauces that go well with duck dishes," he noted. Frankly, a creamy Marsala sauce wouldn't be the same without the sweet hit of the wine, while it can also complement the rich, fatty nature of a well-cooked duck. Others chefs may recommend sweet vermouth — part of what you need to know about this spirit is that it's technically a fortified wine. This can likewise add complexity to a dish, but only if it's added sparingly so the wine doesn't dominate the dish.

Balance is important when cooking with sweet wines and also when pairing them with foods. For instance, sweeter rieslings are an especially good complement to spicy foods. Dishes that include rich, earthy mushrooms also pair nicely with a sweet wine.

While, for some, sweet wine in main courses can take some convincing, the use of sweet wines for desserts simply cannot be overlooked. Morichini says that he thinks that "Marsala in zabaione, a light Italian custard, is a classic." Chef and TV personality Alex Guarnaschelli told Food & Wine that she uses Sauternes for the French version of zabaglione called sabayon. Sauternes is just one of the many sweet dessert wines out there (though, depending on who you ask, it's not the sweetest variety of wine in existence). To many, it is perfect for sipping or adding to a dessert — so as long as it's added in small amounts and with some tasting along the way to maintain balance.

If you find your dish lacking that balance due to adding too much wine, there's a fix for that. If it's a savory dish, try adding butter, olive oil, or pureed onions to get the proportions back in line. If it's a fruit dish, adding a mellow variety of apples can do the trick.

One important thing to remember is to never resort to using cooking wine, such as cooking sherry, when you're looking for a sweet wine to add to a recipe. Cooking wine typically has salt added to disguise the taste of a low-quality wine. You're better off buying a bottle of sherry from your local wine merchant instead. As many chefs have noted, if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it.