Substitutions
An unsweetened white wine — sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, unoaked chardonnay — used to deglaze pans, build sauces, and braise light meats and shellfish.
What it does in a recipe: Acid, aromatic liquid, and a solvent that lifts browned fond off the pan. Pick the swap that covers that job — the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Cooking wine, White wine
Quick answer
Dry vermouth
1/2 cup dry white wine = 1/2 cup dry vermouthAll substitutes, best first
1/2 cup dry white wine = 1/2 cup dry vermouthVermouth is a fortified, herb-infused white wine, so it brings the same acid and alcohol with extra aromatics — and an open bottle keeps for months in the fridge, unlike wine.
Trade-offAdds a faint botanical, slightly bitter edge. Welcome in a chicken or mushroom sauce, less so with delicate fish.
1/2 cup dry white wine = 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth + 1 tbsp white wine vinegarBroth replaces the liquid and savoury body while the vinegar restores the acidity that makes a wine sauce taste bright rather than heavy. Broth on its own reads flat, which is why the acid is not optional.
MethodAdd the vinegar toward the end of the reduction rather than at the start, so its sharpness is not cooked away.
Trade-offMisses the fruit and floral notes of the wine itself, so a dish where wine is the headline flavour will taste simpler.
Allergen checkCommercial broths and stock cubes commonly contain wheat, celery, soy or milk derivatives. Read the packet, particularly when this swap is being made for someone with dietary restrictions already.
1/2 cup dry white wine = 1/2 cup dealcoholised dry white wineIt is wine with the alcohol removed after fermentation, so the grape acidity and much of the aroma survive intact — the closest alcohol-free option by a wide margin.
Trade-offOften a little sweeter and thinner than the real thing, and it reduces faster since there is no alcohol to burn off first.
1/2 cup dry white wine = 1/2 cup white grape juice + 1 tbsp lemon juiceGrape juice carries the right fruit character, and the lemon supplies the acidity that fermentation would have produced and that the juice's sugar otherwise buries.
Trade-offDistinctly sweeter, so a reduction can turn syrupy. Best in a dish that already has salt and fat to balance it, and cut any other sugar in the recipe.
Alcohol does not fully cook off. A sauce simmered briefly can retain a meaningful share of it, so if you are avoiding alcohol for medical, religious or recovery reasons, use one of the alcohol-free swaps above rather than relying on evaporation. No vegan or vegetarian claim is made for wine here: many wines are fined with isinglass from fish, gelatin or egg white, and this is rarely declared on the label.
At a glance
| Category | Wine & spirits |
|---|---|
| Job in a recipe | Acid, aromatic liquid, and a solvent that lifts browned fond off the pan |
| Suits | Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Soy-free |
| Swaps available for | Alcohol-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeGluten-freeNut-freeSoy-freeVeganVegetarian |
| Number of substitutes | 4 |
Related
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter — confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.