Wine: Add a splash to food

Mention sauvignon blanc to some wine drinkers and their immediate reaction is that it's too tart or too dry. Perhaps that is why I tend to like this crisp citrus white that pairs so well with many foods.

It is also what I recommend for cooking. Lacking the weight of most chardonnays, or the impacting sweetness of rieslings, it is generally a clean and bright, low-alcohol ingredient. Depending on the recipe, sauvignon blanc tends to provide a liquid burst of acidity that in most cases brightens the other flavors in your pot or pan.

Sipping a glass while cooking also sets up your taste buds for the meal. Here are a few to check out.

KRT - You don't have to buy a bottle of wine to cook with, just use what you have left at home. Chicken Piccata is an easy way to cook with wine. (Kim Kim Foster-Tobin / The State)

 
Oxford Landing 2009

From Australia, this clean inexpensive white is priced right to cook with and sip at the same time. Lemon-lime aromas give way to grapefruit flavors and a bright finish; about $8.

Emmolo 2008

The grapes come from the Rutherford region in Napa Valley and the wine is made using concrete containers that allow the wine to breath during fermentation. Popular with the Egyptians, it is a method that dates back thousands of years. The result is a bright, clean, easy-to-drink sauvignon blanc that shows a touch of richness in the finish; about $15.

Pommelo 2008

A secondary label made by Randy Mason of Mason Cellars in Napa Valley, the grapes used are mostly from Lake County. As the name suggests, there is a grapefruit note to the wine. Ample lime and citrus flavors make it a refreshing white and an ideal wine to use in sauces and poaching fish; about $9-$10.