How should I use a bottle of undrinkable white wine?

Last night I opened a bottle of Spanish white wine that I really didn't care for. It has a very grapefruity flavor. I won't drink it but I hate to throw it away. How can I use white wine (besides risotto)?

lloreen
  • Posted by: lloreen
  • March 12, 2012
  • 4298 views
  • 15 Comments

15 Comments

Sam1148
Sam1148 March 13, 2012
Back to the vinegar thing. A wine with a grape fruit 'sour' taste could be used for a vinaigrette for a salad dressing. With addition of acid element/oils/herbs/salt. That would work well with as a salad dressing with bitter greens, like Arugula, or spinach. With some sunflower seeds, almonds, green lettuce mix, and feta cheese.
 
chairmanhu
chairmanhu March 13, 2012
You could consider using it to make some kind of a white sangria. It already sounds fruity. Add a bottle of sparkling lemonade, a cup of vodka, some slices of orange and maybe some peaches? That's what I would do, anyway, haha.
 
LeBec F.
LeBec F. March 12, 2012
i guess i don't agree with others re its flavor. i have made fondue with white wine i didn't care for and it was fine.
keep in mind that you can cook it down and keep it in the freezer for future reduction sauces. Maybe you'd like to play around with a white sangria , adding fruit and sugar and orange liquer to it. i've only made red sangria but i know some people like white. also, there's be no problem keeping it refrig'd a few wks while you decide how to use it. best of luck.
 
Sam1148
Sam1148 March 12, 2012
Put a rolled up paper towel in the neck of bottle. Wait about 5 months and if you're lucky you made vinegar.
 
LeBec F.
LeBec F. March 12, 2012
sam, i think that doesn't work. you need to have a vinegar 'mother' or 'ghost' to make vinegar Iirc.
 
Sam1148
Sam1148 March 12, 2012
At least for beaujolais nouveau, it works great. Even with the preservative without the 'mother'.
You do need to open the bottle and let it set opened to pick up some natural yeasts...etc.

If it's a high sugar wine, and left opened with some air in the bottle (like removing a glass or so)..It might pick up some natural yeasts. Then plug it and wait. Nothing risked.
Wine can go 'sour' vinegar for many reasons.

I just finished a bottle of beaujolais nouveau that I opened 1 year ago, and simply let it sit with the paper towel stopper until it magically turned into vinegar. And made some really nice vinegar w/o the mother starter etc..but it was a long wait. It took about 5 months and then it was vinegar.

 
LeBec F.
LeBec F. March 13, 2012
That's interesting about your BN, sam. I tried it with some good french wine many yrs ago and it never did zip.
sorry for the mis-fact.
 
Sam1148
Sam1148 March 13, 2012
I know it works with BN...and that stuff had sulfates as a preservative.

But I think we're both correct here as you just can't tell with the specific wine until you try it.
I also think letting the bottle that has a glass or two removed, unstopped, for a a week or so lets it breath in some natural yeasts, before putting in a cotton ball or towel. But most of it is time and letting the wine do it's thing for quite a few months.
But, for BN that stuff really wants to be Vinegar once you open it and might be more friendly to this idea.
 
ChefJune
ChefJune March 12, 2012
I would steam mussels in it. My favorite is with Dijon Mustard, too. You 'll never taste the wine!
 
tinarina
tinarina March 12, 2012
I don't think the grapefruit taste (typical of sauvingnon blanc) would be too overpowering for mussels or a sauce. Use it soon!
 
amysarah
amysarah March 12, 2012
If it's grapefruit-y, maybe use it to poach fruit? Spices like cinnamon, cloves, star anise, etc. and the sugar or honey, may improve it in that situation.
 
klfnwf
klfnwf March 12, 2012
Cook it down w/sugar and balsamic & make syrup
 
bigpan
bigpan March 12, 2012
If you don't like it - toss it !
Using in a sauce will be the same taste you don't like.
 
la D.
la D. March 12, 2012
The wine is going to infuse anything you cook with its flavor (which you don't like), which is kind of a problem. However, you could use it to cook clams or mussels, maybe with a flavorful spice like fennel seed or saffron. You could also use it in a spicy dish with aggressive flavors (hot chiles)...paella or rice with seafood. Or use the wine to poach a side of salmon with herbs like dill and some lemon. I guess the grapefruit flavor is steering me towards seafood. Good luck!
 
SKK
SKK March 12, 2012
If it is in the family of sauvignon blanc, you can use it an any white sauce. Or make a wine sauce to put over pork tenderloin or pounded chicken breasts. Mussels in white wine sauce is delicious.

Just be sure that the wine isn't off. If you consider it undrinkable it won't complement anything you are cooking.
 
Recommended by Food52

Popular on Food52