Be sure to purchase enough wine when it comes to cooking and serving. The wine used in the sauce or the salad dressing may be perfect for serving at the table. Wines to create sauces can either complement or contrast the flavors of the ingredients. One rule that must be followed, though, is that garbage in equals garbage out, meaning that if you wouldn't drink it at the table don't put it in the sauce. A common kitchen myth is that cooking wine is salted to deter kitchen staff from imbibing while stirring the sauce.
Hot wine is swirled in a saut pan that has just been used to prepare meat or vegetables.
Swirling the wine releases the juices and particles remaining from cooking, extracting all the flavor. The deglazing liquid is then reduced over high heat and can be served as a sauce on its own, or added to other sauces to enhance the flavor. Reduction and the addition of roux is a classic way of building a sauce. Reduction is merely allowing the liquid to cook until a portion of it has evaporated, concentrating the flavors and color of the liquid. Roux is made with equal portions of flour and fat, worked into a paste and added slowly to hot stock as a thickener.