How to Use Leftover Wine
Don’t pour leftover wine down the drain! Follow these steps to use up every last drop.
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You Will Need
- An open bottle of wine
- Garlic
- Soy sauce
- Ginger
- An ice-cube tray
- Orange juice or lemonade
- Club soda
- Fruit wedges
- Sugar
- Brandy
- Whole cloves
- A cinnamon stick
- Orange zest
- A wine vacuum pump, wine-preserver spray, small bottle, or jar
Steps
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Step 1
Keep it in the fridge
Re-cork the open bottle of wine and refrigerate it—even if it’s red. The cold temperature will slow the oxidation process that alters its taste, keeping it drinkable for the next few days.
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To further prevent oxidation, use a wine vacuum pump or a wine-preserver spray, or transfer leftover wine into a smaller bottle or jar before refrigerating.
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Step 2
Bathe in it
Pour red wine in your bathwater. The polyphenols in the grapes may help jumpstart circulation, increase skin elasticity, and even boost skin-cell renewal.
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Step 3
Cook with it
Combine red or white wine with garlic, soy sauce and ginger, and use the mix to marinate meat, chicken, or fish for 30 minutes before cooking. Or add red wine to spaghetti sauce and white wine to cream sauce.
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Step 4
Make wine cubes
Pour the wine into your ice-cube tray and stick it in the freezer. Whenever you have a recipe that calls for wine, just drop in wine cubes instead of opening a new bottle.
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Rule of thumb: One cube equals about two tablespoons of liquid.
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Step 5
Turn it into sangria
Combine a 4-to-1 ratio of wine to orange juice or lemonade and club soda. Stir in fruit and a tablespoon of sugar. Add ice and enjoy your refreshing sangria!
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Step 6
Make mulled wine
Make mulled wine: Pour leftover wine into a saucepan on low heat. Add a dash of brandy, a teaspoon of sugar, a whole clove or two, a piece of a cinnamon stick, and a twist of orange zest. Heat for a few minutes and pour into a mug.
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It takes about 600 grapes to make one bottle of wine.
