What to Do with Leftover Wine
Filed under: Wine
Whether you live alone and have trouble going through an entire bottle fast enough or find yourself with half bottles left behind after dinner parties or holiday gatherings, every wine drinker has been faced with the conundrum at one time or another of what to do with leftover, no-longer-drinkable wine. The important thing to note is that although wine that's been opened for too long might not taste good for drinking anymore but that doesn't mean it's unsafe to ingest. You can certainly pour it out (many people do) but why not do some experimenting with it in the kitchen and try using it in some recipes or try your hand at making your own vinegar?
Ideas for using leftover wine:
- Add flavor and body to tomato-based sauces
- Deglaze pans after roasting meat
- Braise vegetables in it
- Cook it down for use as a sauce and glaze base
- Use it in fondue
- Use it as a marinade for beef, chicken, and fish
- Make your own vinegar by simply letting it sit or by following this recipe
Some argue that you should only cook with wine you would also be willing to drink, but much of what makes wine taste good originally gets lost in the cooking process anyway. It's really just about personal preference.
It's a question that's been tossed around for centuries, since the first cork was popped: How long does wine keep once it's been opened?
As wine collections increase in value, collectors should consider insuring a valuable collection. According to the experts at 
Wine collections are growing, and so are their value, in many cases. Indeed, based on the results of a recent 
Many of the finest restaurants have a "sommelier" on staff, which is the French term for cellar master or wine steward. A sommelier is a trained wine professional who can recommend wines that will well-accompany the food that is being served. A Master Sommelier is an expert who has passed four levels of examinations offered by the 
Wine futures, also referred to as "en primeur", is the term that describes an investment made in wine before it is bottled. Usually, the investment is in a "pre-arrival", which is the first release of certain vintages. Wine futures are similar to an investment made in the futures market. Simply put, it is a bet that the expected future price will increase. Some wine futures, usually those that are highly sought-after premium wines, enter the secondary market. Upon investing in a wine future, the initial release price is usually at its lowest point. An investor can potentially reap a sizeable profit if the investment was made in a wine future that turns out to be an excellent vintage with tremendous demand. Of course, there's an element of risk to investing in wines. An investment in a wine future can turn out to be poor if there's little demand for the wine when it enters the retail market. Be sure to compare prices and only deal with an established and reputable retailer or importer before making an investment.
To prevent drips of red wine on a white table cloth, one easy thing to do is to make sure a napkin is available when pouring. You can fold a napkin in thirds and tuck it into itself to create a simple scarf that rests around the bottle neck. Or simply have a spare napkin handy to catch those drips before they go sliding down the bottle and onto the table.
Keeping a few wine bottles that you plan to use quickly standing vertically on a countertop is no problem but if you want to age and store your wine properly for longer periods of time it needs to be horizontal. Horizontal storage allows the cork to stay in contact with the wine and not dry out so that it doesn't crumble into the bottle when it is uncorked.
