Ingredient
Wine
A traditional liquid seasoning in many salami and sausages, especially Italian. It adds flavour and acidity, carries spices through the mix, and lends a mild antimicrobial hand to the early ferment.
Wine is a quiet traditional ingredient in a good deal of charcuterie, above all in Italy, where red or white wine, often with garlic steeped in it, is worked into salami mixtures. It adds flavour and a little acidity, helps distribute the spices evenly through the meat, and is simply part of the regional canon.
Its acidity and alcohol also give a mild antimicrobial nudge in the early hours, a small extra hurdle before the ferment takes hold. It is used in small amounts, enough to season and moisten rather than to wet the mix.