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Uses for your last bits of wine

So, I appreciate some will deride the notion that there would ever be a 'last bit of wine' left in a bottle. But this is a familiar theme in our household and I hate waste.

So, one option is to freeze the last bits in an ice-cube tray and use later for cooking. However, our freezer is chock-a-block full of frozen wild garlic pesto and other foraged goodies.

So, here is how you can make your own wine vinegar if you have some apple cider vinegar (with mother).  This is rather nice for salads or fancy pickles. In fact, it could be an endless supply with a bit of tlc.

You need:
Wine
Apple cider vinegar with mother (organic vinegars work best)
Clean glass jar
Muslin or clean cloth
Elastic band

ACV with mother ("pure" or "live") means that it is unpasteurised and unfiltered, so the vinegar will look cloudy and may well have some clumps floating around in it.

  • Pour the leftover wine into the jar. You can mix wines if you want, but the vinegar does taste better if you keep separate jars for white and red. 
  • Add the apple cider vinegar - you need about 3 parts wine to 1 part live vinegar.
  • Cover the jar with muslin or cloth. Secure it with the rubber band.
  • Store at room temperature (away from any open bottles of wine).
  • Swirl the jar gently a couple of times daily and start tasting after three weeks or so. Some vinegar will evaporate, so you can keep adding leftover wine if that takes your fancy.
  • Start using the vinegar when it’s gotten sour enough to suit you. 
  • Don’t be startled if a new “mother” starts forming at the bottom of the jar. This is a sign of good health. Once it’s firm, you can pick it out of the jar with tongs and give it away, compost it or use it to start a fresh supply of vinegar.
  • You can also add more wine as you remove vinegar, which could give you an endless supply if you look after it.


Also:

Recipes with leftover wine from The Guardian
Some other tips here from Expert Home Tips
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