1. Soak It
Photo Credit: Food Thinkers at flickr.com
By “It,” we mean steak, lamb or even chicken. Now, you might be thinking this isn’t exactly all that new or unique; wine, and red wine especially, has been used as a meat marinade since the days of Ancient Rome. But what better excuse is there to treat yourself to a deliciously fancy dinner than using up your leftover wine? (Although you may need to buy more wine to pair with your steak, and then you’ll have more leftovers, and so on….) Alternatively, you can use red wines as an ingredient in a number of mouthwatering sauces.
2. Spritz It
If that juicy steak from No. 1 didn’t use up all your leftovers, maybe this part of a balanced diet will. Thanks to its alcohol content, wine is actually pretty useful as a disinfectant, and is obviously safe to consume. That means there’s an easier way than washing to get those pesky pesticides off of your fresh fruits and veggies: transfer your leftover wine into an empty spray bottle, and spritz those germs away!
3. Bait It
Photo Credit: Kent K.B. at flickr.com
So we’ve just learned that wine can rid your veggies of pesticides and any other nasty stuff, but here’s some even better news: it can rid your kitchen of the pests themselves! You can use your leftover wine as bait in your own DIY fly trap. Just pour a bit into a small cup, shallow bowl, or empty spice bottle (as seen above) and cover the top with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the plastic using the tip of a pen or pencil; gnats will be drawn into the trap by the alluring scent of fermented fruit, but they won’t be able to escape.
4. Blend It
Summer is the season for splurging and splashing, so pour a splash of whatever leftover wine you’ve got into your next smoothie! Both red and white wines work perfectly as a liquid substitute in your favourite fruity blends, adding their own flavours for a more sophisticated treat.