I know there are many of you who believe it is sacrilege to open a bottle of wine and not finish it. This story is not for you. For the rest of us though there are occaisons when finishing the bottle just isn't feasible. Perhaps the next evening one has obligations and the next you just don't feel like a glass. What to do with this leftover wine? If I, your trusty wine guy haven't finished a bottle within 4-5 days of opening then I prefer to use these wines for cooking. Whether the wine is a red or a white I'll stick it in the refrigerator. White wines are great for using as marinades for chicken or fish. Add some herbs and spices or perhaps some Dijon mustard. Put the lot in a Glad Storage Bag. Leave it for 20 minutes, two hours, or overnight and you're good to go. Whites are also good for deglazing fry pans and making quick sauces. Turn the heat up to cook off the alcohol, scrape loose the cooked on bits, add some capers, salt & pepper, turn the heat down and reduce, and you've got a great sauce to pour over pan fried pork chops or a piece of fish.
For reds, I like to use them in pasta sauces and stews. Add a couple cups of leftover Zinfandel or Shiraz to some crushed tomatoes & garlic, diced onion & basil, and chopped green pepper and zucchini. Put on medium heat and reduce 20-30 minutes and you've got a great sauce to toss with your favorite pasta. Wine and stews are another favorite of mine. For Casa di Vino's Syrah, Sirah, Shiraz wine tasting last night I added a half bottle of leftover "Wolftrap" (see previous blog entry) to a crock pot filled with diced salami & chorizo, a can of crushed tomatoes, three cans of assorted beans (kidney, pinto, garbanzo & black eyed peas) a chopped onion and a chopped bell pepper. I threw in some spices (oregano, cumin, black pepper, rosemary & sage), set the crock pot to high and let it cook for 4 hours. I then thickened it with a bit of cornstarch and turned it down to low for another 3 hours. Laura dished this "stew" out in sampler cups to pair with the Syrah based wines we were pouring and everyone who came raved about the wine and food pairing.
These are just a few ideas of what to do with any leftover wine but they just touch the surface. Don't hesitate to experiment. Just make sure you give whatever you are preparing enough cooking time to cook off the alcohol. Otherwise the dish will taste hot and alcoholic. If you cook off or down the alcohol what you'll wind up with is the essence that will add a complexity to whatever you've prepared. So experiment and enjoy. One last word. Don't cook with anything you wouldn't consider drinking and don't open a special bottle just to cook with. Some of the "cooking wines" you'll find in the supermarkets are so nasty you'll ruin the dish you're working so hard to prepare and the fact that you're cooking off the alcohol and adding flavors makes it a waste to open a top-of-the-line wine just for cooking. Every day wine will do just fine. Bon Appetit and good drinking.
Howard Bernstein
Owner, Casa di Vino
Wine and Food Guy, Des Moines Wine and Food Connection
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