Leftover wine? It happens. Maybe you uncorked a bottle to add a splash to pasta sauce, sipped solo during dinner or realized that opening a second bottle with friends was a bit too ambitious.
We won’t pass judgment on whether you should finish what you started, but if you find yourself with a half-opened bottle, try using what’s left in one of these wine-infused recipes.
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An Easy Homemade Vermouth Recipe
Wine-Pickled Cucumbers and Onions
The Red Wine Pasta Dough Recipe
Fig Jam With Leftover Wine
White-Wine-Infused Sausages
Red Wine Granita
Courtesy Ryan “Mr. Lyan” Chetiyawardana, owner/bartender, Silver Lyan, Washington D.C.
Chetiyawardana recommends a fruit-forward red wine to provide backbone for this vermouth.
“Wormwood is the key component,” says Chetiyawardana. “Unless you have some in the garden or in the spice cupboard, seek something else out as a bittering agent. Citrus or baking spices might be a good option.”
Try this vermouth in a Negroni or Manhattan. Or sip it by itself over ice, mixed with tonic and garnished with an orange wedge.
- 5 ounces vodka
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 green cardamom pod
- 1 pinch loose-leaf Earl Grey tea
- Zest of 1 grapefruit
- Pinch wormwood (available on Amazon or other online retailers)
- 6 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 cups dry red wine
Add all ingredients except sugar and wine into container. Let sit for at least 1–2 days to infuse, or longer for stronger flavors. Strain out solids through coffee filter. Whisk in sugar until dissolved. Add red wine. Refrigerated, vermouth can keep for up to 1 month.
Courtesy EAST Hotel, Beijing, China
These versatile pickles work with either a fruity red or zesty white wine. Feel free to adjust the red pepper flakes, depending on your desired heat. The pickles are great tucked into pork lettuce wraps or served alongside Korean fried chicken, but are a pretty addictive snack on their own.
- 6Âľ ounces rice wine vinegar
- 5 ounces white or red wine
- 1 ounce malt vinegar or white vinegar
- 4 ounces honey
- 3 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 3 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 3 teaspoons minced fresh dill
- 1 English cucumber, sliced thin into rounds
- 1 small red onion, sliced thin
In small saucepan with ½ cup water, add all ingredients except cucumber and onion. Bring to boil, then remove from heat. Toss cucumber and red onion slices, and add to mason jar or container with tight-fitting lid. Pour vinegar mixture into jar and let infuse in refrigerator. Pickles will be ready to eat after 12 hours, but flavor will develop for up to 7 days.
Courtesy Julian Marucci, chef, Tagliata, Baltimore
Using red wine in place of water adds flavor, body and color to this pasta dough. It works well in heartier meat-sauced dishes like Marucci’s braised beef ragù.
Imported 00 flour, also called doppio zero, is made with fine-ground durum wheat that lends a nice al dente bite to pasta. If you can’t find it, you can substitute high-quality, all-purpose flour.
- 10 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups red wine
- 8 cups 00 flour
- Semolina flour, for dusting
In bowl, whisk egg yolks, olive oil and red wine. On flat workspace, pile flour and form well in center. Add wet ingredients to well. With your fingers or fork, mix in flour gradually until fully incorporated. Knead mixture for about 10 minutes, or until dough springs back when you press finger into it. If necessary, knead more flour into dough. Let dough rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or overnight wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
To form pasta, cut dough into 4 slices. Press dough and roll with rolling pin until thin enough to put through largest setting on standard pasta machine. Roll dough through pasta machine on the largest setting. Repeat until down to second- or third-thinnest setting. Alternatively, roll pasta with rolling pin until desired thickness.
Cut pasta into sheet about 10 inches long. Dust lightly with flour, and cut with knife or pasta machine. Store in shallow container dusted with semolina flour. Space properly to prevent sticking.
Courtesy Grace Mattingly, taste curator, Aurora Cooks! at the Inns of Aurora, Aurora, NY
Originally, Mattingly made this jam with leftover Seven Daughters Moscato.
“Any sweet wine would do, but I find that Moscato has the sweetness you need while still being light, to hold up to a long cooking time,” she says. Try the jam spread on wheat toast or served with baked brie.
- 1ÂĽ cup Moscato
- 1½ cup high-quality dried figs
- ½ cup honey
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1 teaspoon fresh-grated ginger
- â…› teaspoon salt
- Juice of ½ lemon
In small saucepan, combine Moscato, figs and honey. Bring to boil until figs are soft. Add 2 sprigs thyme and ginger. Simmer for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When figs start to break apart and most liquid has been reduced, remove from heat. Let cool.
Remove thyme sprigs. In food processor, blend mixture with salt and lemon juice. Add leaves from remaining thyme sprigs, and gently mix. Serve immediately, or store in refrigerator overnight.
Courtesy Hinnerk Von Bargen, culinary arts professor, Culinary Institute of America
Von Bargen’s original recipe for this sausage uses a sodium nitrate-based curing salt and bactoferm, a culture used to ferment meat sausages. Both are available online and at restaurant supply stores, but he’s adapted this to make it easier for the home chef. Â
A spicy GewĂĽrztraminer stands up nicely next to kimchi and red pepper. Serve the sausages with rice noodles and chili garlic sauce.Â
- 2½ pounds 80% lean pork shoulder
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1½ tablespoons sugar
- ½ tablespoon gochugaru (ground Korean red pepper)
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons Gewürztraminer
- 6 ounces kimchi
- 8 ounces cooked pearl barley
- Hog casings, as needed
Cut pork shoulder into large dice, and keep fat and lean parts separate. Toss lean meat with salt, sugar and ground pepper. Place lean meat and fat separately on sheet pan. Place in freezer to partially freeze. Grind lean meat through medium disk of meat grinder, then progressively grind fattier meat through medium and fine disks.
Combine garlic, Gewürztraminer and kimchi in blender and purée until smooth. With meat mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine ground meat with purée and barley for 5 minutes, or until well combined and sticky. Stuff into hog casings. Twist links into desired lengths.
Poach sausages at 170°F until internal temperature reaches 165°F, measured with a meat thermometer. Shock sausages in ice water to cool. To serve, grill or pan-sear sausage over medium heat until warmed through and browned on all sides.
Courtesy The Culinary Institute of America at COPIA, Napa, CA
While ice cream or sorbet becomes smooth and creamy as it simultaneously churns and freezes, granita is only stirred occasionally, which results in a crunchy and refreshing texture. You can also let it freeze solid, then scrape the surface with a fork.
Pinot Noir, Merlot or Rioja all yield good results. Serve it in wine or cocktail glass garnished with blackberries and a mint sprig.
- 1Âľ cups red wine
- Âľ cup sugar
- Âľ cup orange juice
- Âľ cup lemon juice
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chill 13- by 9-inch glass or metal baking pan in freezer. In medium saucepan, combine all ingredients with 3 cups water. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low. Simmer until sugar has dissolved and mixture has reduced slightly, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly. Transfer to covered container and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
Remove vanilla bean, if using. Transfer to chilled baking dish. Place in freezer. Stir mixture gently with whisk every 30 minutes until it resembles crushed ice, about 3 hours. Cover pan with plastic wrap. Freeze until needed.
1An Easy Homemade Vermouth Recipe
2Wine-Pickled Cucumbers and Onions Improve Every Spread
3The Red Wine Pasta Dough Recipe
4You Can Make Jam with Leftover Wine
5A White-Wine-Infused Sausage Recipe
6This Granita Recipe Gives Leftover Red Wine a Sweet Purpose
