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Believe it or not, some people actually have leftover wine. It’s never happened to me, but I’ve heard it happens. Luckily, wine is useful for more than just helping you unwind after work or enhancing the flavor of your meal. From cooking to cleaning to facials, leftover wine has lots of uses.
So if you really aren’t going to drink it, here are some things to do with it.
Cook with it.
Wine adds depth and flavor when added to sauces, stews, soups and even pasta and casseroles. The most common use for leftover wine in cooking is for deglazing pans when making gravy and sauces. Pour a few ounces into a still hot pan and let the wine reduce while scraping the browned pieces from the bottom and sides of the pan. Use the wine to replace a portion of the liquid in the recipe.
A unique and delicious way to use leftover red wine is to make a dish called “Drunken Spaghetti.” There are several variations of this recipe online but the basic premise is to cook the pasta in the red wine. You’ll probably need close to a full bottle, so this is a great way to use up leftover wine after a party or to use a bottle that you’ve opened but didn’t like well enough to drink.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain the wine but reserve a 1/2 cup or so of the liquid. Add the pasta back to the pan, stir in salt, pepper and whatever other seasonings you like, add the reserved liquid and toss with parmesan cheese. This makes a quick dinner and is a nice change from standard pasta dishes.
If you don’t need the wine for cooking right away, you can freeze it in small containers or ice cube trays for later use.
Clean with leftover white wine
I’ll admit I would just drink the leftover wine before I would consider this one but I’ll tell you how to do it anyway.
White wine can be used to disinfect surfaces in your kitchen. Add some to a spray bottle and clean appliances and countertops, but don’t use it on granite. The acid in the wine can eat away at the surface. The alcohol and acid in leftover white wine is also effective in cleaning grease and oil stains from your garage floor or driveway.
Bathe in red wine
Wine baths, or vinotherapy, have been popular in spas for the last 10 years or so. Since red wine is high in anti-oxidants and anti-aging properties, it can give a boost to sagging skin. The polyphenols in red wine soften skin and remove dead skin cells. But you don’t need a fancy spa to enjoy an indulgent wine bath.
Just add a cup or two of dry red, like cabernet, to your bath, poor a glass for yourself to drink, and relax for 15 or twenty minutes.
Compost it or catch fruit flies with it
Compost piles can be more than coffee grounds and eggshells. Dump your leftover wine on the pile to moisten the compost and conserve water at the same time. Wine also has nitrogen and yeast which will speed up the breakdown of your compost. Then use the compost in your garden for a natural fertilizer.
Since fruit flies are attracted to wine and vinegar, you can use leftover wine to trap them. Add a few drops of dawn dish soap and some wine to a shallow dish and place on a counter or window sill. The flies will become trapped in the liquid and die.
Turn it into vinegar
The difference between wine and vinegar is the presence of acetic acid. Fermentation and sulfites keep the acid in check when the wine is made and bottled. But once it has been opened, the alcohol is transformed by bacteria into acetic acid and becomes vinegar.
To turn excess wine into vinegar, pour the leftover wine into a clean mason jar or other container with a wide mouth. Cover with cheese cloth and store in a cool, dark spot for one to six months. Taste it periodically to determine if it has turned to vinegar. Once it has, store in a bottle with a cork stopper.
Remove a red wine stain with it
In a pinch, an effective way to remove a red wine stain is with white wine. White wine will dissolve the anthocyanin compounds, which are the pigments that give red wine its color. If you splash some Cabernet on your blouse, immediately flood the stain with white wine and then blot with a towel.
Clean your vegetables with it
Leftover red wine has anti-microbial properties that can kill bacteria on fruits and vegetables and help to remove pesticides and chemicals. Use it along with water to wash vegetables and fruit before using them. If some of the wine flavor is left behind, even better.
Give yourself a facial
Red and white wines can be used to make facial scrubs and masks. The tannins, resveratrol and flavonoids in wine fight aging by restoring collagen and elastic fibers in your skin.
To make a facial scrub, add a few tablespoons of red wine to your favorite exfoliant and scrub in a circular motion to remove dirt and dead skin cells. You can also use natural exfoliants like sugar, ground rice or coffee grounds.
For a face mask, mix 2 tablespoons of red wine and yogurt with 1 tablespoon of honey. Apply liberally to your face and leave it on for 15 minutes. Wash off with cool water and a damp cloth.
If you need some wine because you don’t have any leftover check out wine.com
Clean your windows with it.
Since spoiled white wine is only a few steps away from vinegar, it can make an excellent window cleaner. Just add a few tablespoons to a spray bottle and use it for streak-free cleaning of glass and mirrors.
As you can see, leftover wine can be used in many different ways so there’s no need to worry about opening a bottle you can’t finish and there’s never any reason to pour it down the drain. Use it to prepare a nice meal, clean the kitchen with it when you’re done and then relax in a red wine bath. Who knew wine was so versatile?
Excellent! Who knew?