Plopping down at the end of a particularly stressful day can feel like heaven! But what if your wine is too warm or—god forbid!—tastes like it costs?
Yikes!
Never fear! We’ve got a few wine hacks that every vino drinker should know!
#1. Chill Wine With Frozen Grapes
A nice glass of chilled wine can really hit the spot. Warm wine, though, not so much, especially if it’s a white wine or rose wine. Instead of pouring your wine over ice cubes, use frozen grapes instead. They won’t melt and won’t water down your wine, and they add a tasty treat.
#2. Use a Wet Towel to Chill Wine
We can’t all have an endless supply of frozen grapes in the freezer. If you find yourself sans frozen grapes and a bottle of warm wine, use the old wet towel in the freezer trick. Simply wet a kitchen towel or a stack of paper towels and wrap it around the wine bottle. Then, pop the bottle of wine in the freezer for 15 to 30 minutes. It will chill much faster than if you put it in the freezer by itself.
#3. Aerate Cheap Wine in the Blender
You can aerate cheap wine (or any wine, really) by whizzing it around in the blender for a few seconds. Aerating wine mixes it with oxygen, which can change the taste and allow it to develop better flavors. Granted your cheap wine won’t taste just like a fancy schmancy $100 bottle of wine, but it can make it taste at least a little better.
#4. Sweeten Dry Wine With Juice
Is the new bottle of wine you grabbed this time too dry for your taste? Sweeten it up a little with some fruit juice. Grape juice is best, but you can use pretty much any type of juice. If you really don’t like the taste of wine, you can also try mixing up some yummy wine cocktails with different mixers.
#5. No Corkscrew? No problem!
Wine + No Corkscrew = Frustration! Been there, done that. Don’t ask. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to have a long decking screw and a pair of pliers on hand. (I mean, when you’re drinking wine, who doesn’t?!) Just twist the screw into the cork and gently pull it out with the pliers. There are actually several different way to open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew!
#6. Squeeze the Last Drops From Boxed Wine
Rockin’ the boxed wine tonight? No judgement! I’m actually quite fond of boxed wine; it stays fresher way longer than an open bottle of wine. But, I hate when it’s almost gone and the wine starts pouring really sloooow… Get the wine flowing faster by opening the box and giving the plastic bladder inside a little squeeze as you open the plastic spigot. Or just remove the whole bladder from the box and squeeze it into your glass.
#7. Save Those Boxed Wine Bladders
Speaking of boxed wine, don’t let those heavy duty plastic bladders inside go to waste! A little twisting and tugging and the front part of the plastic spigot should pop right off. You can then rinse them well and reuse them. I’ve used them to store water during camping trips for washing up, but I’ve also heard of people refilling them with wine for camping trips.
#8. Freeze Leftover Wine
Egad! Who has leftover wine, you ask? Well, some people do—somewhere. If you find yourself in a situation where you have leftover wine that you know you won’t drink before it loses its taste, pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it. You can store the cubes in a resealable plastic bag and use them for cooking.
#9. Don’t be Afraid to Make It!
Finally, why not try your hand at making some wine of your own? It’s really not as hard as it seems, and all you really need is a large jug or bottle, some grape juice, sugar, and yeast. Fermentation locks also make the process so much easier and they’re relatively inexpensive, but it’s not absolutely necessary. A quick Google search should provide you with tons of simple homemade wine recipes and some fermentation lock alternatives.
