iconesicones

Preserving open bottles

Wine

Keep them all in the refrigerator. Whites and rosés generally keep for two or three days, and reds up to five. You can freeze all but sparkling wines for cooking. Pour the unused portion in small containers or Ziploc bags, or fill an ice-cube tray.

Eaux-de-vie and spirits

These can stay in a cupboard for a long time thanks to their high alcohol content. Just be sure that the bottles stand upright. Cream liqueurs like Irish Cream, however, have an expiry date and must always be stored in the fridge after opening.

Vacuum preservation method

There are numerous gadgets to prevent oxidation and prolong the life of the wine.

Wine Saver: This popular pump is designed to suck oxygen out of the bottle and create a vacuum over the wine.

Private Preserve: The spray can contains a harmless gas that coats the surface of the wine and protects it from oxygen.

Pulltex AntiOx: This wine stopper comes equipped with an active carbon filter to inhibit the oxidizing process.

Coravin: This device lets you pour wine without removing the cork. The wine passes through a tube that punctures the cork and injects argon gas into the bottle thereby protecting any leftover wine.

Should we serve the same wine that was used in the recipe?

You can use a wine of the same grape variety or provenance as the one that went into your dish.

For example, if you cooked with a Malbec from Latin America, you can serve a Malbec from Cahors, France.

But be warned, corked wine is not recommended for cooking!