The rule is you should never cook with a wine you wouldn't drink, which rules out anything with the word "cooking" in the name. (Try a swallow of that stuff sometime and you'll see what I mean.) Nevertheless, I cook with wine 6 to 8 times a month, using it primarily in quick pan sauces but also in marinades, braises, soups, and simmered sauces.

The problem I face, and likely you do too, is that I don't always want to open a bottle of wine when I only need, say, half a cup in a sauce and I don't always want to drink a whole bottle. Admittedly an open bottle will keep for up to a week in the fridge, but after a day or so it's too stale for drinking.

My solution to the white wine problem is vermouth. Vermouth is a fortified dry white wine flavored with herbs that I've found works in almost any recipe calling for white wine. Best of all, vermouth will keep without going stale for at least two months so I can use what I need as I use it.