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Stupid Question...but serious

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Cory430
Cory430 Posts: 1,073
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
How long will boxed white wine stay good? I ask because I rarely if ever drink white wine, but use it in cooking quite a bit. Most recipes do not call for an entire bottle (MM Turkey excepted) and I hate to open a bottle for a 1/4 cup and then feeling the need to polish off the bottle (a hardship I know :) ) with dinner. My girlfriend and I both would prefer red wine or beer with dinner, but instead get stuck with white wine.

I figure if the boxed stuff lasts longer it might be the way to go. 'Course you get like 5 liters to the box :whistle:

Sorry for the long explanation...
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Comments

  • dhuffjr
    dhuffjr Posts: 3,182
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    I just bought a four pack of small bottles. We are not drinkers so I may have 3 more thanksgivings out of it unless I come up with something else to use it on. I need to pick up a 4 pack of red wine so I've be diversified :whistle:
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  • Cory430
    Cory430 Posts: 1,073
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    I hadn't thought of the small bottles :blush: that might just be the best option. Thanks!
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  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
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    they are supposed to last indefinitely. they aren't ever exposed to air, which is what does it.

    there aren't many that are decent table wines... though. so don't expect too high a quality. we buy one for my sister in law who drinks white zin. and it stays in the fridge from holiday to holiday
    hahaha

    doesn't oxidize
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
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  • Luvs to shoot clay
    Luvs to shoot clay Posts: 774
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    Most of what I have seen says it should last about 4 weeks. I know it will last a lot longer than bottles after opening. I think even longer than that would be OK for cooking. I'm not an expert and there might be other ideas. A Sommelier once told me the best way to tell a good wine was to taste it. If you like it, no matter the cost, that's a good wine. I agree.
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  • Eggin in Peoria
    Eggin in Peoria Posts: 262
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    Charles Shaw has good "cheap" wines if you have a Traders Joes near ya. "2 buck chuck" although they cost $2.99 - great for cooking and who cares if you throw some of it away.
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  • Mr. & Mrs Potatohead
    Mr. & Mrs Potatohead Posts: 2,037
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    The small bottles may be the route to go...
    OTOH, I'm told that a box wine will last longer than that in a bottle because it doesn't get any air into it when dispensed.
    I also make sure to keep my wine / wines in my cool cellar...They seem to keep a long time!
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  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
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    I buy the little bottled 4 packs for cooking. Use what I need from each bottle and either dump the rest or drink it. Either way no guilt.
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  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    Cory,

    For the last few years the tetra pack wines in the one litre size have been becoming more popular in Canada. Now they are doing 250ml packs of four. These are mostly available in French, Italian and Canadian wine. I don't drink much white wine but cook with it all the time so these are perfect. A four pack is about 10% more than the one litre but I don't have to throw out any.

    DSC_0086-1.jpg


    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

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  • Car Wash Mike
    Car Wash Mike Posts: 11,244
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    I send you 2 of my reds for 2 of your white ones. :woohoo:

    Mike
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  • Chef in the Making
    Chef in the Making Posts: 902
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    As I understand the purpose of cooking with wine is to enhance the flavor of the dish so my philosphy is cook only with a wine that you would drink.
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  • Cory430
    Cory430 Posts: 1,073
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    No Trader Joes anywhere around here as far as I know. But I have heard that the 2 buck chuck is decent.
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  • Cory430
    Cory430 Posts: 1,073
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    Steve and CW,
    I agree that the 4 packs seem to be the way to go. I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier.
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  • Cory430
    Cory430 Posts: 1,073
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    Mike,
    I am more than happy to trade you the whites, sorry if they are missing a 1/4-1/2 cup or so :laugh:
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  • Cory430
    Cory430 Posts: 1,073
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    Chef,
    I agree that you should cook with a wine that you wouldnt mind drinking, but while I like the white wine flavor in my cooking, I would much rather actually drink a red or a beer. And it galls me to pay for large bottle of wine that I only need a small amount of and then "have" to drink the rest of it even though I would prefer something else.

    The smaller bottles in the 4 packs seem like they would give me a more palatable option. There wouldn't be much more than a shot or so left to...uh...dispose of :laugh:
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  • Cory430
    Cory430 Posts: 1,073
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    Stike,
    Thats what made me think of the boxed wines first. I thought that I had heard that they had a super long shelf life due to the non exposure to oxygen.
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  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
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    and high sugar content! hahaha
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
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  • TXTriker
    TXTriker Posts: 1,177
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    Cory, do as they suggested and buy the small bottles. Now, the question is how long will a small unopened bottle last? Ask at your liquor store with an explanation of what you are using it for and how long it will be before you use the next bottle.

    Or, if you have friends or relatives, give them the other individual bottles. Also, unless it is a pasta receipe, can you substitue the red?

    Let us know what you find out.
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  • Cory430
    Cory430 Posts: 1,073
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    I assume that an unopened bottle would be good for some time; at least several months and probably more. I would probably use them much quicker than that. I would guess that I do at least 2 cooks/month that call for white wine somewhere in the recipe. But I'll be more than happy to check when I pick some up.
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  • Curly
    Curly Posts: 46
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    I use the small bottles as well (Sutter Home makes a 4 pack with 187 ml bottles).

    It's perfect for cooking when you only need a little.
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  • dhuffjr
    dhuffjr Posts: 3,182
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    We can trade in OKC if we make it :woohoo:
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  • dhuffjr
    dhuffjr Posts: 3,182
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    I think that is the brand I bought.

    H
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  • TXTriker
    TXTriker Posts: 1,177
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    Also, know that the bottles I'm familiar with, which are few, are screw lids and not corks so they should last longer without corking the wine.
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  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
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    As long as they are sealed they will last quite a long time.

    I can't really prove that cause around here they don't last long.. I love cooking with booze...
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  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
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    Sutter's Mill make about every type of wine there is in those small bottles.
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  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
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    they'll last forever, unless it tuns to vinegar. might not age well, but it won't go bad in 10 years

    there's so much alcohol and sugar in them, there's virtually no issue.

    aging is one thing, but going bad? not anytime soon
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
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  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
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    wine vinegar is good too...
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  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
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    i have a 1915 burgundy that just may be vinegar. going to open it in 2015.

    last of my trophy bottles.....
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
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  • Charleston Dave
    Charleston Dave Posts: 571
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    Not at all a stupid question.

    Like everybody else has already said, I like the small bottles.

    I stock 4-packs of the Gallo Merlot. It's drinkable in small quantities. Enough for a recipe, and the rest for the cook. Makes me feel like a regular Graham Kerr. :silly:

    Their cab? Not so good IMHO.

    If I need a white, I have some of their chardonnary but that's more typically Gallo (as in, I don't really like drinking it).
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