Disagree red==white in terms of cooking... Yes, the same grapes may be used but as has been said tannins plus the aging (ie what oaks are used) creates a entirely different beast..

OP: Some recipes (sauces) you can use brandy (carefully!) and some places (SOME!) beer can be used... Usually a not-to-hoppy ale...

Some cask wines are actually ok and last up to a month... I had a dry month and we had a cask of red for cooking (so as to escape the "oh well, we have an open bottle of wine" excuse) and it worked well in red sauces/roasts etc...