Wine Ice Cubes from Leftover Wine

For some people the thought of “leftover wine” is unbelievable, but for others it is a common occurrence. Maybe you opened a bottle that wasn't what you hoped that it would be and you don't want to finish it off by the glass. Perhaps you had a party and had different wines open that didn't get finished at the end of the night. One solution is to recork it and drink it the next night. Another is to make wine ice cubes to use later.

Making and Using Wine Ice Cubes

Making Wine Ice Cubes

People often ask if wine will freeze into cubes because “alcohol doesn't freeze.” How quickly and how hard your leftover wine will freeze depends on how high the alcohol content of the wine. The less alcohol there is in the wine, the harder that it will freeze. I use a simple $2 ice cube tray that I got at Target because most people have ice makers now and freezers no longer come with ice cube trays. Freeze a couple of tablespoons or an entire try depending on how much wine you have leftover and how you intend to use it. Let them freeze in the tray over night and then move them to freezer bags so that they will last longer. Label the bags with the type of wine you froze and the date.

Uses for Wine Ice Cubes

There are many things that you can do once you have made your wine ice cubes depending upon the type of wine and how much you have frozen. Here are some of our favorites:

• Use the cubes to quickly chill room temperature wine of the same or similar varietal. It won't water down your drink like regular ice cubes. This is perfect if you tend to prefer all of one type of wine.
• Thaw them and cook with them. We'll be posting some of our favorite recipes that call for wine over the next few months and you will find that you can use your wine cubes in many of them. Great recipes include Chicken Marsala and Coq au Vin. Or simply add a cube to your favorite spaghetti sauce to jazz it up.
• Use one or two cubes to deglaze a pan before making sauce.
• Make a quick glass of sangria with a couple of the frozen wine cubes, a little flavored brandy, fresh fruit and Sprite. Red wines work particular well for sangria.
• Toss a couple of frozen champagne or sparkling white cubes into orange juice for a makeshift mimosa.
• Partially thaw cubes and mix with juice and Sprite to make a wine slush on hot days.
• Make a white wine spritzer by pouring club soda into a glass and then doubling the volume with the frozen wine cubes.

Do you have other use for leftover wine ice cubes? We would love to hear them!