Freezing wine and using it for cooking
Can you freeze wine? What is the shelf life of wine when frozen? Can frozen wine be used for cooking? Does the wine lose its alcohol? Read on to find the answers to these questions.
The key points
- Wine can be frozen and used for cooking or baking instead of throwing it away.
- The alcohol content does not change when the wine is frozen.
- The wine only loses flavour and carbon dioxide, making it less suitable for drinking.
- The alcohol content is lost when the wine is cooked or baked.
Can you freeze wine?
You can freeze wine very easily instead of throwing it away. After freezing, the wine is no longer suitable for drinking, but it’s still wonderful for cooking or baking.
Wine loses flavour and carbon dioxide when it is frozen. However, this is not a problem if you use it to make cakes or sauces. We recommend that you use frozen wine within the next three weeks while it still has its flavour. But it can also keep for much longer.
The longer you store the wine frozen in the freezer, the more it loses flavour. However, this does not affect its shelf life. Just give it a try.
You can simply chuck the frozen wine into your dish while it is still frozen or leave it to defrost, at room temperature or in the fridge. For baking, it is best to defrost the wine beforehand.
So get into the kitchen and get started with your perfect white wine risotto, red wine goulash or red wine cake.
Think in advance about how much wine you can use. For example, you can pour it into ice cube trays to very easily portion it off. Sometimes a little hint of wine in your dish is enough.
Do you need larger quantities? No problem, because larger storage containers are also suitable. However, don’t forget that glass can shatter in the freezer, and make sure there is enough space in the container to allow the wine to expand. We advise you not to freeze whole bottles!
How can leftover wine be used as an alternative to freezing?
Who hasn’t been there? You had a glass of wine with dinner, but then didn't want to drink the whole bottle? Don't worry! You don’t need to pour away the wine. There are alternatives to freezing leftover wine.
There are several ways to use leftover wine. From wine cake, to red wine ice cream, Feuerzangenbowle [fire tong punch] or sangria, wine sauces or homemade red wine soap, many things are possible.
White wine can be used to remove red wine stains. You can even remove grease stains on the barbecue with a little baking powder and leftover white wine!
You can also use wine for an indulgent evening bath. Simply add a glass of red wine to the water and do something good for your skin!
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