Recycle Your Leftover Wine – A Vivino Innovation

Did you know that a recent study revealed that UK households are throwing £270 million (equivalent to 42 million litres*) of leftover wine down the drain? Unthinkable! With wine consumption and consumer awareness about the cost of wasting food rising, here are two recipes for transforming your leftover wine and adding zing to your cooking. These recipes were developed courtesy of Vivino, the world’s most downloaded wine searcher app.

Gourmet Red Wine Salt – (infographic)

What you’ll need:
· 1 1/2 cups of Fleur De Sel
· 1 bottle of bold wine (think Zinfandel, Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon)
· Small pan
· Baking tray
· Baking sheet

Directions: 
Bring the wine to a boiling temperature in the saucepan and reduce until a thick consistency gathers (you want there to be about 1-2 tablespoons of liquid in the pan). Allow this to cool to a room temperature for the next stage. Add 1 cup of Fleur De Sel to the pan and begin to gently stir until the salt has absorbed all of the liquid. Add the extra half-cup at your discretion until all of the liquid has been absorbed.

Transfer the salt from the pan into a parchment-sheet lined tray and leave it to dry over the course of a couple of days (about 3-4). Once dried simply transfer it into a jar and voila, red wine salt.

Delicious Red or White Wine Syrup
What you’ll need:
· 2 1/2 cups of leftover red or white wine
· 1 cup of sugar
· Medium sized saucepan

Directions: Combine the sugar and the wine in a saucepan, bringing to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture has a syrupy consistency. Take off the heat, leave to cool and simply bottle and refrigerate for up to two weeks. If you want to be extra creative add some additional flavour with vanilla bean, cloves, cinnamon or ginger. These syrups are perfect for adventurous desserts with fruit or as a marinade for roasted carrots, parsnips and meats!

*WRAP Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK Nov 2012. For more recipes and instructions see leftover wine recipes.