Can I cook Brats in wine?

[Midlife]

I bought a large package of Johnsonville Brats at Costco and want to cook them, but I'd like to experiment with doing it in wine instead of beer. Am I nuts??

-What kind of wine would give the best flavor?
-Should I add onions as with beer?
-Any other suggestions (except the obvious one: USE BEER).

Thanks.

[Midlife]

Thanks everyone. I experimented with a couple simmered in Chardonnay with onions and garlic, then grilled them. Very good. Next batch gets some apple too and this one in a drier style Riesling.

[gfr1111]

I'm a bit surprised that cooking in Chardonnay, onions, and garlic makes a difference to the sausages. I've cooked brats and other sausages in beer and have never been able to tell a difference compared to using water. That is, you'd think that the beer would seep into the sausages and give them a beer flavor, but I haven't noticed any.

[eight_inch_pestle]

Try steeping them in alcohol beforehand as well.

[mucho gordo]

I braise hot dogs in a Japanese Plum wine. They have a nice glaze and are delicious. Brats would come out just as good.

[mamachef]

And I bet one of those condensed Porter Ales would work too, with glazing and flavor.

[mucho gordo]

Absolutely!. I remember there was a small chain called Lum's that steamed their dogs in beer. The place is long gone so maybe the novelty wore off and it wasn't such a good idea after all.

[bushwickgirl]

I remember Lum's from the 70's; Hartford CT area had one. The problem was their dogs were so generic. Beer was good though. ;)

[mamachef]

I would definitely braise the brats in dry white of some sort, and then braise onions down in the cooking liquid by adding a ton of them, sliced, with some salt and pepper and a little thyme, tossing and baking for about an hour. Reheat the brats with the onions.

[smtucker]

Oh that sounds good! What a good idea.

[bushwickgirl]

You can do dry or even a sweeter white. A California Reisling is a better choice that the light delicate German version or try a California slightly sweet Sauternes. Throw in some caraway seeds if you like, with the onions from mamachef's recipe, or a little horsradish, some chunks of apple, a few cloves (the spice) and definitely a few garlic cloves. Nothing too fancy or too much more seasoning than the brats, wine and onions. When done, break out the hearty rolls, the good mustard and you're good to go.

[eight_inch_pestle]

Well said. I'm biased, but I'll give a shout out to Washington State rieslings, as well.

[bushwickgirl]

Washington State rieslings-

Another excellent choice.