I understand you do not think that there is something called "Leftover wine". It confounds you. But I can assure you that it does exist in the dark corners of the world. And I can tell you what to do with it.
I'm not what you'd call a drinker. I have nothing against it ... in fact I wish I could spend most of my days teetering about with a tinkling cocktail in hand. It seems so elegant in a Rock Hudson, Doris Day kind of way. Poor Rock. He had reason to drink.
I watch movies where couples are gliding around their perfectly appointed kitchens, sharing a bottle of wine while companionably making a delicious looking dinner together. I resemble the Tasmanian Devil on speed while making dinner; alone.
The wine drinking movie people throw their heads back in laughter and take a sip. They share a knowing glance and then take a sip. Such fun! When I take a sip I immediately feel slightly nauseous and often come perilously close to blurting out slurry secrets.
Sometimes if I have wine in the house I just pour a glass and walk around with it in my hand, feeling fancy and grown up. It's just for looks. I always have a can of Diet Coke hidden somewhere around the corner, which I sneak a drink out of when no one is looking. It's like I have some sort of alcoholism dyslexia.
By far the most common use I have for wine is using it in pan sauces. Oh ... I love a good Red Wine Pan Sauce. The trouble is, it usually only calls for ½ a cup of red wine. So then I'm left with $16 worth of Chianti that ends up going bad in my fridge. Since buying cheap wine for cooking isn't an option (if it tastes bad to drink, it'll taste bad in a recipe) I've stumbled upon this solution ...
At this point in the post, I would encourage all Sommeliers and general wine connoisseurs to look away.
Because I am now suggesting if you have leftover wine, that you freeze it for cooking. Definitely a better option than buying hobo wine for cooking.
Here's what you do: freeze the wine.
Fill your ice cube tray with leftover wine.
Before filling the ice cube tray measure how much liquid each cube holds. In my case, 3 cubes = ½ cup.
Once the cubes freeze, just pop them out and stick them in a baggie. Wine does freeze, contrary to popular belief. It just doesn't freeze as hard as water would. When you come across a recipe that calls for wine, just grab a few cubes and you're set.
This is my favourite Red Wine Pan Sauce recipe.
And guess what?! You can still drink it if that's what you want to do. If you don't finish a bottle, just stick it in the freezer. It will preserve it as well as those air sucking gadgets. (scientific fact, not something I randomly made up) Would I freeze half of a $100 bottle of wine? Well probably.
But I'm guessing that most people who have $100 bottles of wine polish them off pretty quickly.
So. Let the discussion about how how there's NO such thing as leftover wine begin! I'll be over here throwing back a Diet Coke.
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I usually buy those little 4-packs of 187 ml bottles to use for this purpose. They are decent wine. there’s enough for a recipe and usually a small glass for me.
I do the exact same thing!
I welcome all sorts over my threshold...wine ,Coke, tea, no tea for religious reasons, beer only, still water only...I’m a non drinker and make not one apology for it but happily provide all of these libations for guests. I feel like I can now make a decent reduction sauce to serve along with the aforementioned libations.
However,I’ll probably cover my wine cubes to prevent freezer burn and off taste.
Hi - I make Italian Wine Cookies with my left over wine. I have even used 2-3 month old wine. All kinds of recipes on line for these cookies.
Or you could just invite some of us wine drinkers over to you know, watch you cook and help with the leftover situation 😉😁
Thanks for the tip, Karen! Now I have to go get a new ice cube tray especially for freezing wine. Hubby doesn't like the taste of alcohol or vinegar in anything that goes into his mouth and his taste buds are very sensitive.
Frozen wine??? Now all I can think of are giant wine slushies....
They are a thing. Add some berries, powdered sugar and wine to blender. Give it a whir, freeze, drink. Yum.
Berries, powdered sugar, wine in blender. Whir, freeze, yummy.
Yes, lol! That's just what it's like when it's frozen. ~ karen
How about making wine jelly Yum
I do the same thing with whipping cream and leftover cooked spinach. The cream is used in a balsamic mushroom sauce for chicken and the spinach is for omelettes. “Create-a-cubes” waste less and make meals and shopping easier. Silicone ice cube trays make transfer if the contents to zip-top bags easier. Can’t wait to try it with wine!
DARN! I was hoping you would be providing a recipe for balsamic vinegar!!!
Thank you for this tip. How long do you think will frozen wine last in the freezer? I'm elderly single and don't use wine much. This freezing tip will help tho.
Hi Amber. I've had wine in the freezer for up to 8 months and it's fine but I'm using it for cooking. In fact I've used frozen wine for cooking a year after freezing it and it's been fine. For straight drinking I'm not entirely sure but my assumption would be 6 months or so. ~ karen!
Hi Karen, I just found your site and I have to say that you are an absolute riot! I love your humor and your writing. Thanks for being so witty. I will be back. I saw your recipe for pan sauce in varying degrees (basic, better, etc.). I live a whole foods plant based lifestyle, but it's easy enough to convert the recipe. I love the tip of freezing wine. I don't drink and I just bought a bottle of red wine to make a mushroom gravy. Now I know what do do with the rest of the wine! Thanks!