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Q: I've always heard that the alcohol burns off when I cook with wine. I like using Marsala in recipes and really like the flavor it gives, I keep a bottle of white wine in the fridge and always use that instead of water in any sauce. - BL, (IA)

A. There was a great article in the Chicago Tribune 1/27/99 that covered this. I happened to find that article again when I was resarching an answer to your question. "A study on alcohol retention in food preparation" appeared in the April 1992 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Six recipes were selected to examine alcohol loss during various methods of preparation: "A recipe simmered for a long time - several hours (pot roast Milano) - and one simmered for a short time - less than 20 minutes (orange chicken Burgundy); a recipe that was baked about 30 minutes (scalloped oysters); a recipe that used no heat but was refrigerated overnight, uncovered (brandy Alexander pie); one in which alcohol was added to a flaming dessert (cherries jubilee); and finally, one that added alcohol to a hot sauce (Grand Marnier sauce). Here are the results. (Results are the average of many testings.)

• Long simmering time: 5 percent alcohol remained.

• Short simmering time: 35 percent alcohol remained.

• Oven-baked: 45 percent alcohol remained.

• Refrigerated, no heat: 74 percent alcohol remained.

• Flaming: 78 percent alcohol remained.

• Added to a boiling sauce: 84 percent alcohol remained.

It's obvious that the longer a dish cooks, the greater amount of alcohol that burns off. This study also found that whether a dish is covered or uncovered matters, too, as indicated by the study's somewhat surprising findings that long refrigeration times dissipate more alcohol than does flaming. (The pie was uncovered)." Based on this study, we'll continue to cook with wine of all sorts, and often add a little brandy to certain dishes. However, it pays to know that some dishes may pack a punch you didn't count on. Enjoy!

Q. I was opening a bottle of Pinot Grigio last night. I use a two-prong cork-puller rather than a cokscrew and have never had a problem with it. Last night I got the cork half way out of the bottle, but it wouldn't budge any more. I tried putting the puller back in and squeezing the cork out, but I chipped a little of the glass off the neck of the bottle. Then I got it back in and almost had the rest of the cork out when I really broke off a good portion of the neck. Is my corkpuller the fault? Or is it a matter of technique? By the way, I strained the wine through a coffee filter, and it was fine. What gives? - JK, (IL)

A. I'm really sorry you had to go to such lengths to enjoy the Pinot Grigio. I use a similar opener at home all the time. I have tried traditional corkscrews, but really don't like them as much. However, I DO have trouble with SOME corks. The technique you described is absolutely the right way to use this device. (Incidentally, it's called an "Ah-so." The most famous brand was made in Germany and branded with this name, and now all the copies, I use a French one, are referred to by this name.) I have big problems with some Italian corks. It's either the quality of the corks, or the fact that some producers like a tighter fit to assure that air won't get in. Anyway, when I'm opening an Italian white, and many reds, I always have a traditional waiter's corkscrew handy. If the Ah-So is too tight, I go back to the corkscrew and muscle the cork out. Hope this helps, and hope you keep opening good bottles of wine one way or another!

Q. I've heard you can chill wine in eight minutes. How does that work?

A. It's easy to chill wine in 8 minutes. We have a unit here in the store that does it, but you can do it at home easily. The fastest way to chill wine is in cold water and ice. It is much faster than in just ice. The fact that the water makes better contact with the surface of the bottle and absorbs more of the heat from the glass speeds up the process. Our unit here in the store circulates the water in addition, making it a uniform temperature. However, a bucket filled with some ice and water will do just fine. One of the slowest ways (if you're in a hurry) to chill a bottle is to put it in the refrigerator. The chilled air takes way too long.

Q. While cleaning out my basement recently I found several cases of red wine I bought in 1972 but forgot about until now. I know we didn't spend a lot for them -- any way to tell if they're any good? - BC, Madison, WI

A. A quick way to tell how your wine has held up is to hold a bottle up to a light and check the color. If it's a red wine and you see reddish color (even through the green glass you should be able to tell) rather than a rusty, brick brown, there's hope. Also stand the bottle up and check the fill. A low "shoulder" fill might indicate some leakage, but I'd go for the color cue. Of course the best way to find out if the wine's okay is to open it. If it has gone south it will be obvious. But there are still aspects of a basement's "time capsule" effect that can offer hope. If the basement's dark and cool, with little temperature fluctuation, then conditions aren't that different from a natural wine cellar's, and the wine may be alright. It's the swing in temperature from really hot in summer to really cold in winter that spells disaster, along with storing anything near the furnace or hot water heater. Remember, if you're going to serve these questionable bottles, always have a back-up. (Also, don't be afraid to open one of these antiques. There's very little that could harm you in an old wine, it's probably just turned to vinegar.)

"I've had a bottle of Mumm's in the fridge for at least two years, maybe more. Is it still okay? Is it more valuable? " -- Bob, Buffalo Grove, IL

A. Champagne's meant to be enjoyed soon after it's released, or within a few years. There are people who cellar fine Champagnes, the top makes, but the taste doesn't improve greatly by doing this. What happens after a great deal of time is that the cork starts to fail, and Champagnes start to loose their fizz. They may still be a remarkable wine, but after ten or twenty years, much of the pop has left the bottle. The part of your question that bothers me, though, is that the Mumm's has been in the fridge for two years. Don't wait for New Year's Eve or a Cubs pennant to celebrate. Those little moments when a special friend has done something really nice, or you want to spark up a special meal are made for Champagne!

Q. I like to enjoy a glass of wine now and then, but hesitate to open a bottle because I assume it won't keep once I open it. How long does a wine last once it's uncorked? - RB, Chicago, IL

A. Don't hesitate to open a nice bottle of wine. there are many devices on the market that will help keep your wine fresh, at least for a few dayds, once it's opened. My favorite contraption is called a Vacu-Vin. It's a little pump that comes with two rubber stoppers that you use to re-cork your bottle. Put a stopper in your bottle, use the pump to suck out the air in the bottle and then pout it in the refrigerator (yes, even if it's a red -- just take it out ahead of time before you serve it.) There are other techniques that use a gas blanket to protect your uncorked wine from the dangers of oxygen contact, such as a product called Private Preserve. This is also inexpensive and very effective. The simplest method is to put the cork back in the bottle and pop it in the refrigerator. The wine will taste a little different the next day, but it won't go bad for a few days, maybe several days. It will just begin to lose some of its flavor, long before it turns to vinegar. (Tricks that date back to Roman times: 1. Replace the missing wine in a bottle with pebbles, these days those nice florist glass rocks or marbles do the trick. 2. Pour the balance of the full bottle you have started into a smaller bottle, leaving less or no air space. Put this in the fridge for the next evening.)

Q. When we were travelling through Italy and France last year, we seemed to constantly have a glass of wine in our hands, and we never got a headache. Back home, this is not the case. Do they grow grapes without sulfites there? What is the difference between the wines we drank there and the wines (from there) we drink here? - KP, Highland Park, IL

A. Sulfites are a natural result of fermentation and are not solely the cause of headaches. The satement "contains sulfites" is required by federal law to be put on bottles of wine sold in this country (no matter where they're made) because it is felt that sulphur may have an ill effect on asthmatics and others with respiratory problems. As far as headaches go, allergists seem to claim that histamines may be the culprit here. But studies on this (and their prominence in red wines) are inconclusive because histamines are fleeting and difficult to track. Some people cannot go near red wine, period, without getting a migraine. But our anecdotal study of red wine and headaches is just that, a compilation of stories from many individuals. There's always the possibility that another factor I call the "adrenaline factor" played a part in this. The wine we get here is no different from the wine you got there (if it was the same make and year). The fact that you were on vacation in a beautiful place might have factored into your enjoying it more there.