Rather than throwing away a drop, it is better to drink a well , they say in Veneto. Let's see everything you need to know to avoid wasting leftover wine, if you happen to have it left over. Here are Sommelier Wine Box's 7 tips on how to reuse the bottle end left after a dinner, so as not to waste the precious liquid, the result of great effort.
We must agree on one thing: if it is good, wine should not be thrown away for any reason. But it may happen that you are unable to finish the bottle, especially after an evening at home full of tasting different bottles. Let's see what to do with the leftover wine, in seven simple points (without intruding into dyeing clothes, fertilizing plants, cleaning the house...).
1. The wine is still good the next day
Let's dispel a myth: the wine remains good for more than a day after opening, and indeed it can be "tested" the next day by evaluating how it reacts to oxygenation.
How it behaves depends a lot from wine to wine, however a red tends to keep its characteristics intact for around 4-6 days , while rosés, whites and bubbles progressively less.
Naturally, the bottles with the leftover wine must be well corked to preserve it, kept in a cool and dark place, in the absence of humidity, and should not be forgotten!
These times are extended by using the oxygen pump (or the similar instrument that pumps it in, in the case of sparkling wines), a simple but effective tool for greatly extending the life of the wine left in the bottle.
- Read also: how to store wine at home
2. Leftover wine is perfect for cooking
There are many recipes for using leftover wine in cooking: from sauces and meats (braised meat above all) to desserts and risottos, including taralli and jelly, without forgetting that wine helps revive dried fruit.
And using great wine for cooking is really chic.
3. Wine popsicle
If you know that you won't be able to use it in the following days, a creative idea is to freeze the wine in ice molds: it can be used in the kitchen if necessary, but also to cool cocktails and other drinks.
4. Cocktail with wine from the day before
Mulled wine in winter, sangria or wine-based cocktails all year round... leftover wine, especially if particularly good, will give a touch of class to the drinks of the following days.
For example, here are the ingredients for the iconic Bellini, invented at the Harris Bar in Venice:
10 cl of leftover Prosecco (or another sparkling wine ) with 5 cl of peach pulp mixed together and voilà.
5. Wine to remove stains from other wine
The previous remedies allow you to enhance the wine as it deserves, however if you completely forget the bottle and retrieve it too late, when the taste begins to recall that of vinegar , it should be remembered that red wine stains can be removed with of white wine.
- Read also: natural remedies to remove wine stains
6. Leftover wine for cleaning vegetables
Even if too much time has passed since opening, white wine can be used to clean raw vegetables : alcohol eliminates bacteria. Just immerse them whole in a solution of water and wine.
7. Wine for facial cleansing
Wine has many natural antioxidant and regenerating properties: this aspect, combined with the presence of alcohol, makes it also usable as a tonic , after cleansing the face.
