When you have opened the wine, it is best to drink it in the next 24 hours, after which its taste begins to change noticeably. But once the wine breaks down and you no longer enjoy it, you don’t have to throw it away. What to do with bad wine? You can do a lot with it – from fly traps to limescale cleaners.
When the phenols in the wine come in contact with the air, the taste of the wine gradually changes. The longer it stays open in the refrigerator, the more it changes the taste. But you don’t have to pour the broken wine into the sink. You can still use it. The Daily Mail has come up with some ideas for what to do with bad wine.
What to Do With Bad Wine in the Kitchen?
Many recipes require the addition of some red or white wine to the meal. If you do not prepare any single meal that would require wine as an ingredient on the following day or the coming days, you can simply pour it into an ice container and freeze it. This way, you can later take the cube after a cube of frozen wine from the freezer and add it to your dishes.
Cleaner for Removing Grease Stains
If white wine is mixed with baking soda, a blend is created that removes greasy stains on the floors of balconies, terraces, and garages. Simply pour the mixture on the stain, leave it to work for a few minutes, then rinse thoroughly with hot water.
Limescale Remover
Alternatively, you can turn the bad white wine into a descaling agent or a disinfectant by mixing the wine with the same amount of water.
Alcohol, in combination with an acid, eliminates stains and germs on ceramics and glass. However, such a mixture is not suitable for cleaning or disinfecting granite surfaces since the acid present in the wine can break down the stone materials.
Natural Fertilizer
Plants also seem to love a good wine drop, just as many people do. But, of course, not in pure form.
If you are making your bio-waste fermentation mix at home, then you can add some red wine to the mix. Such homemade fertilizer, which also contains some red wine, will encourage the plants in your garden to grow even more.
A Trap for Flies
Flies also know what to do with bad wine. Unfortunately for them, this knowledge leads to the death of flies. Let’s see how.
Do you always have beautifully stacked fresh fruit in the kitchen in a bowl? Unfortunately, flies adore the fruit too. In such a case, you can take a spoonful of red wine for you to place next to the fruit bowl.
All you need is a disposable container in which you pour wine and some detergent into the box and mix the two ingredients well. Glue strong and wide adhesive tape through the vessels, then pierce them with toothpicks. Just make sure that the holes are large enough for the flies to follow the smell of the wine. Once they get in, they will no longer be able to get out, as they will stick to the adhesive tape that covers the trap on top.
Red Wine Marmalade
Boil 350 ml of red wine, and add 200 g of jelly sugar, star anise, or any other seasoning that goes well with red wine (like a cinnamon stick). Before turning the wine into syrup, remove the solid spices, then pour the remaining contents into jars. Such homemade wine jams should last at least four weeks in the refrigerator.