This is a guest post by John Adams
Mature wine drinkers are often left with some wine that is not consumable at some point in time. While college students and young party-goers make sure that all bottles are empty by the end of the night or dawn, adults know better than to binge-drink and wake up with a horrendous hangover. A bottle of wine usually lasts a day or two if you cork and store it properly; otherwise, it can turn vinegary and disgusting overnight. If you don’t have high standards and happily chug down the cheapest wine at your nearest supermarket, you may not even notice the wine from last night going bad. If you have a refined palate, the smell of an old uncorked wine should be enough to make you toss it into the garbage.
If the wine in question was fairly expensive, it would be a shame to pour it down the drain just like that. Luckily, you don’t have to be so wasteful and you can put the spoiled wine to good use one way or another. Below are a few suggestions that allow you to make the best of the good stuff that was leftover or discarded for consumption:
1. Use it in Cooking
You have probably heard that one should only cook with wine they’d drink, but here’s the exception. This wine was pretty good the night before or earlier, so it doesn’t actually qualify as an awful wine to begin with. If you’re preparing a meal with rich flavours and lots of heat, the deteriorated taste of the wine will go unnoticed. A savoury red wine that is no longer good to drink works best as a marinade. Soak the meat in it and the wine’s acidity will not only tenderize it but also add to the taste.
You can also turn old wine into a passable wine jam or jelly with the right recipe. Another option is to reduce it into a sauce to go with your steak. Slightly off wines may be baked into awesome desserts as well, especially a rich chocolate cake.
2. Have a Spa Day at home
Did you know that wine, particularly the red kind, is packed with antioxidants, which have healing and anti-aging properties? If you have a small amount of undrinkable wine, dab it onto your skin directly or make a face mask out of it. This shall help you get rid of those crowfeet and dim the fine lines. The wine will make your skin glow and feel younger. If you have a lot of spoiled wine, pour it into your bathtub and immerse yourself in the goodness.
3. Do a Tie and Dye project
When wine is spilled on a dress or table cloth, getting it out can be quite the challenge and sometimes it becomes impossible. However, another way around is to embrace the colour of the wine and transform the stained linens. If you possess a substantial amount of spoiled wine then pour it into a large pot and bring it to a boil. Cook any clothing item you want to colour; you can go monotone or be creative with your tie and dye skills. You can do T-shirts, scarfs, bedsheets, or anything that is originally white or a light shade.
4. Use it for Cleaning
Believe it or not, you can actually rinse off wine stains with more wine. This essentially works if you are trying to get rid of a fresh red wine stain with white wine. Since spoiled wine is acidic, you can use it for several household cleaning projects, such as filthy counters, dirty windows, and grimy floors. The alcohol in wine also serves as an antiseptic, so it will not only clean a surface but also kill germs.
5. Save it (make it drinkable)
If the leftover wine isn’t half bad, you can still save it for drinking. You may not notice the foul taste if you drink it chilled or use it to prepare a cocktail; it may function nicely in a spritzer, coke or sangria. The unfavourable hints of flavour or sweetness in the wine can also be masked if you pair it with spicy food. Certain foods like mushrooms can make a not-so-good red wine taste a lot better. A legend says that dropping a penny into a wine that smells burnt or rotten can improve it drastically; try it to find out if it’s a truth or myth.
Other Articles
Here are other articles that John has written for BCWineTrends – Fast-track Method to Earn the Title of Wine Expert and 5 Steps to turn you into a Wine Connoisseur.
Author Bio
John Adams is a paralegal and lifestyle blogger who concentrates on food, fitness, family law, and home improvement. He encourages readers to live the life of their dreams but also preaches to be realistic and practical. He loves to share his insight on life experiences and contributes to various online platforms in the same niche.