What Is Sauterne wine and How Can I Use It?
Sauterne wine rewards a little know-how: how to choose it, cook it, store it, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 11 recipes to cook with it.
Key Points
- A sweet white wine; French Sauternes is the pricey Bordeaux dessert wine, "sauterne" the generic sweet white.
- In savory cooking it adds gentle sweetness to pan sauces for chicken, mushrooms, and seafood.
- Reduce it gently and taste, since too much sugar can turn a savory sauce cloying.
- Substitute Riesling, Moscato, or any off-dry white; a sweet sherry also works.
- Unfortified, so once opened it keeps only three to five days refrigerated.
What is sauterne wine?
Sauterne is a sweet white wine, and the name causes some confusion. True French Sauternes, spelled with an s, is a famous and pricey dessert wine from Bordeaux, made from grapes affected by noble rot, which concentrates their sugar into something honeyed.
The American spelling without the s, "sauterne," usually means an inexpensive generic sweet or semi-sweet white wine.
Most recipes calling for sauterne mean a sweet white that adds fruit and a touch of sweetness to a dish. It is not a dry wine, so it behaves differently in a pan than a dry white would.
How to Use It
In savory cooking, sauterne goes into light pan sauces for chicken, mushrooms, and seafood, where a little sweetness rounds out the dish. You will see it in Party Chicken Bake and Cathe's Stuffed Mushrooms, and giving body to Flank Steak in Mushroom Sauce.
A splash also lifts chilled fruit dishes like Chilled Fruit Soup.
Because it carries sugar, reduce it gently and taste as you go; too much can tip a savory sauce toward cloying. Add it after deglazing, let it simmer to cook off the raw alcohol, and balance with a squeeze of lemon if needed.
For dessert, a genuine Sauternes is poured over fresh fruit or into custards, and sipped alongside foie gras and blue cheese, where its honeyed sweetness comes into its own.
Substitutes
For a sweet white in cooking, a Riesling or Moscato or any off-dry white wine substitutes well. A sweet sherry or a splash of white grape juice also covers the sweetness. If the recipe really wants the rich dessert-wine character, use a late-harvest white or a sweet Marsala.
For an alcohol-free version, white grape juice with a little lemon juice brings back the sweet-tart balance.
Buying and Keeping It
For everyday cooking, an inexpensive sweet white labeled sauterne is fine; save true French Sauternes for the dessert table. Once opened, an unfortified sweet white lasts only a few days in the fridge before fading, so recork it and use it within three to five days.
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- 苏玳葡萄酒
- British (UK) term
- Sauterne wine
- en français
- vin de sauternes
- en español
- vino sauterne
Recipes using sauterne wine
There are 11 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Roulade of Turkey with Foie Gras & Sauterne Sauce ...
Turkey roulade stuffed with foie gras, wrapped in savoy cabbage, and steamed. Served with a sauterne-cherry reduction sauce and crispy sweet potato frites.
Chilled Fruit Soup
A Scandinavian-style chilled fruit soup with dried apricots, prunes, raisins, apples, and cherries simmered in sauterne wine with cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Thickened with tapioca.
Cathe's Stuffed Mushrooms
Mushroom caps stuffed with a savory filling of sautéed stems, onions, clam juice, sautérne wine, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan, baked until golden and bubbling.
Chicken Marengo Ii
Breaded chicken pieces cooked in the microwave with sauterne wine, mushrooms, and tomatoes. A quick shortcut version of the classic French Chicken Marengo.
Onion Soup, la Fitte
French onion soup with golden caramelized onions simmered in sauterne wine and pareve bouillon, served with toast rounds and grated Swiss cheese on top.
Shrimp Floridan En Papilate
Florida-style shrimp baked en papillote in a tangy blue cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream sauce with garlic, parsley, and sauterne wine. Wrapped in foil packets for easy cleanup and maximum flavor.
Good'N Easy Stew
Good'n easy stew is a dump-and-go Crock-Pot beef stew with onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, and a splash of Sauterne wine. Five ingredients, 10 hours, fork-tender beef.
Flank Steak in Mushroom Sauce
Slow cooker flank steak braised in sauterne wine, beef broth, and soy sauce with sliced mushrooms. Fork-tender beef with a rich, glossy mushroom gravy.
Party Chicken Bake
Party chicken bake with browned chicken breasts smothered in a creamy mushroom soup, cream cheese, chive, and sauterne wine sauce. Baked for an hour and served over Italian-seasoned rice.
