What is the difference between white cooking wine and sauterne wine?

The key difference between white cooking wine and Sauternes lies in their intended use and quality:

White Cooking Wine:

* Purpose: Primarily meant for cooking. It's designed to add flavor and acidity to dishes, not to be enjoyed on its own.

* Quality: Typically lower in quality and made from inexpensive grapes. It often contains added salt and sulfites.

* Taste: Can be quite acidic and sometimes has a bitter aftertaste.

* Availability: Widely available and often sold in large quantities.

* Cost: Very affordable.

Sauternes:

* Purpose: A dessert wine meant to be enjoyed on its own or with dessert.

* Quality: Made from high-quality grapes like Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. It undergoes a process called "noble rot" where the grapes are affected by a mold that concentrates sugars and flavors.

* Taste: Sweet, rich, complex, and often has notes of honey, apricot, and citrus.

* Availability: Less widely available and often more expensive than cooking wine.

* Cost: Higher priced than cooking wine.

In short:

* Cooking wine is a budget-friendly option for adding flavor to your dishes, while Sauternes is a luxurious dessert wine best enjoyed on its own.

Important note: You can use a dry white wine for cooking, but it's not recommended to use Sauternes because of its high cost.