If you love cooking with wine, Holland House is a great place to venture. I have been cooking with them for about two years. The selection of these products is just fantastic. If you can’t come up with something to make, just add one of these to any basic meat or pasta sauce and you are good to go! Holland House Cooking Wine and Premium Vinegars are a welcome addition to any kitchen. Whether you want to make sauces, marinades, glazes or sautés, these cooking wines are the key. They have robust aromas that enhance even the simplest of dishes. For something incredible, open a bottle of Holland House Premium Vinegar- the flavors come alive, marinades sing and salads dazzle. If you are cooking with kids in the house, the alcohol cooks out of the dishes. Just make sure you cook all of your sauces well and to a boil when possible. If you are not a wine drinker, which I am not, you might want to choose recipes that call for the smaller amounts. I made Pasta Amatriciana last year, which called for a cup of the wine, and it was to much wine flavor for me. I am not a drinker by any means. I tried the recipe at a later date with just 1/2 cup of the wine and it was much better

Holland House makes 6 different cooking wines and they are all savory.

1.  Red Cooking Wine: This wine has a classic burgundy aroma with rich ruby color. Its smooth, mellow flavor is light and not too dry, which is ideal for cooking.
2.  White Cooking Wine: Is a crisp and light white wine aroma. Slightly dry with sauterne-like flavor, it’s delectably subtle yet distinct.
3.  Sherry Cooking Wine: Comes in a light golden color and has a mild dry sherry flavor. It’s a bit nutty, but more caramel-like, and has a delicious taste.
4.  Marsala Cooking Wine: This smooth, well-rounded, medium-bodied wine is sweet with hints of hazelnut. Marsala Cooking Wine is versatile with a food-friendly flavor. Break out the chicken!
5. Vermouth Cooking Wine: This dry, light flavor is well-balanced with a hint of spice.
6. White with Lemon Flavor Cooking Wine: Brisk, fresh lemon aroma made with the right amount of tang- it’s white wine with a twist!

What is Cooking Wine?

Holland House Cooking Wine is wine MADE for cooking. Please don’t drink it! lol Holland House uses premium quality wine stock and has a perfectly balanced taste and aroma. The salt that is added makes it stable in your pantry and gives you a consistency of flavor you can depend on from the first time you open it, to the last drop. Cooking wine is used as an ingredient; it’s not meant to be consumed as a beverage.

Choosing the Right Flavor for Your Dish
Wine should complement your dish, not only in flavor, but in color as well. Try Holland House^® White, White with Lemon, and Vermouth and Sherry flavors for light-colored and mild-flavored entrées such as poultry, pork or fish. Try Red and Marsala for darker and more flavorful meats and game. However, taste is a personal preference, so use your imagination to experiment!

Holland House also offers a line of  Premium Vinegars in Five Bold Varieties

1.  White Wine Vinegar – Light and crisp with a delicate balance of flavors like those found in the premium California white wine from which it’s produced.
2.  Red Wine Vinegar – Robust and full-bodied wine vinegar offers a pleasing concentration of flavors and rich red appearance consistent with Premium California red wine.
3. Garlic Flavor Red Wine Vinegar –  Premium California red wine infused with mellow garlic flavor to create an extraordinarily versatile flavor enhancer
4.  Malt Vinegar – Drawing on the distinctive characteristic of malted barley for its rich golden color and strong – but not overpowering flavor
5.  Balsamic Vinegar –  Meticulously crafted from the juice of Trebbiano grapes from Modena, Italy to produce full-bodied flavor that’s both aromatic and sweet

I was very excited to try this recipe and I have to tell you I was a bit disappointed. It had nothing to do with the recipe being good or bad, it was good, it just wasn’t for us. This is only my second encounter with cooking wines and I expected more of the wine taste to cook off. I don’t drink so the called for amount was a bit much. My friend, who is an ex chef, even thought it was a bit much. I listed the recipe as written originally but with some suggestions. I used Spaghetti even though I originally was going to use Angel hair. I thought the chunky sauce might be a little much for the fine pasta. I hope you will give this a try and let me know what you think! It was very easy to prepare.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 c onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz. bacon, cooked, drained, chopped
2 cans (28 oz. each) plum or crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. sugar
1 c Holland House Red Cooking Wine (I recommend only 1/2 to 3/4 c)
Ground pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste (I didn’t use)
Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 lb. pasta, cooked (I used Spaghetti)

Directions

Heat oil in heavy pan over medium heat. Sauté onion until soft. Stir in garlic and bacon for 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, sugar, wine and spices. Simmer on low, uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over pasta, with cheese.

Makes 6 servings.

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