Man and a woman is drinking fragrant hot mulled wine in a cozy home festive atmosphere. Concept of New Year and Christmas mood. Closeup.Tatiana Oleshko/iStockPhoto / Getty Images
Some holiday leftovers never go away. I’m talking about inherited bottles of unopened wine that you’d never drink. A gift of a bold cabernet to a house of dedicated white wine drinkers or a forlorn full-bodied California chardonnay that’s continually passed over for lighter, brighter selections.
These well-intended contributions don’t need to become dust magnets on your wine rack. Years of practice has helped me find ways to help such bottles fulfill their destiny of being opened and enjoyed.
Having a quality wine that you simply don’t care for offers many opportunities to regift or donate it for a charity auction. You could just as easily bring it to a gathering or open it the next time you entertain and let fate take its course.
A bigger issue is holding a bottle of something that you don’t feel comfortable passing along. Cooking with it seems to be a sensible option, but I’m not a fan of cooking with wine that I wouldn’t drink.
My go-to solution, depending on the season, is using misfit wine as a base for sangria or mulled wine so that it’s flavoured, spiced and sweetened into something completely different.
A quick internet search will offer many recipe ideas to consider; it seems no two people make either the same. Many adjustments can be made to the mulled wine combination of a bottle of wine, dry spices (pre-packed mulled wine spices are widely available), citrus fruit and brandy or port. I typically opt for brandy but have also used Grand Marnier or dark rum to add interest to mulled white wine.
Even after all of that warming, condensing and adulterating, you still may not appreciate the contents of that unwelcome bottle. But at least you’ll be confident in knowing your kitchen will smell festive and wonderful.
