How to Use Undrinkable Wine in the Kitchen
I know none of you ever leave a bottle of wine less than completely drained, but sometimes people make mistakes and a little extra wine can oxidize. But even if you can’t drink it, this fermented grape juice, now vinegar, doesn’t need to be thrown away.
This is part of the Lifehacker Eating Trash With Claire series in which Claire Lower convinces you to turn your kitchen waste into something edible and tasty.
When the wine is exposed to oxygen, the bacteria inside it convert the sugar and alcohol in the wine into acetic acid, the acid that makes vinegar sour. This makes the wine undrinkable, but means you can use it in cooking just like vinegar. Here are some of my favorite ways to use any bonus, like sour wine:
- Tender Meat: Wine is often used in marinades because of its softening properties and fruity taste, and the extra acid in oxidized wine can help soften tougher cuts even faster. I like to pair 1/4 cup dubious wine with 1/2 cup olive oil, three cloves of minced garlic, two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, two teaspoons of cooked horseradish, and one teaspoon of maple syrup. Let the meat hang for at least a couple of hours, then dry it with paper towels and cook as usual.
- In the salad dressing: Using this formula, which is made up of 60% oil, 30% acid (in this case our hot wine) and 10% other flavors, whisk some vinaigrette. Of course, keep in mind that there will be some ethanol in your clothes, so maybe don’t share it with kids.
- Removing the frosting in a saucepan: Any good skillet sauce starts with good degassing, and there is no reason you can’t use wine with a little less sipping for this task. After all, you are going to cook it and add a bunch of other flavorful ingredients, so many of the subtleties will be hidden anyway.
Also, if you find the wine is too tart for any of the above, you can always balance it with a little simple sugar. Sugar always helps.