While it’s highly unlikely you’re ever going to have leftover wine, sometimes it happens. What happens more regularly though is the need to open a bottle of wine just for that cup or so you happen to need for a recipe, leaving you to finish the bottle, even if you wanted to perhaps drink something else. We like to cook with wine, a lot, but we don’t always feel the need to open something new, which is why, when we can, we freeze wine to use later.
Freezing wine is a great way to keep the wine fresh, and then use it as you need whenever you have a recipe that calls for it. We always have a tray of red and white sitting in the freezer, and then whenever we want to make a risotto or a quick pan sauce, all we have to do is grab a cube, and in seconds, we have the perfect amount we need. Here’s how to do it:
Step One – Determine The Volume Of Your Tray
Freezing wine isn’t any good if you don’t know the amount of wine that one cube equals, but fortunately figuring this out is really easy. Simply fill one open cube space in your tray with water, and then transfer it to a measuring cup. TADA, you know the exact volume that one cube equals.
Pro-Tip! We love to use the rubber trays that are normally used to make large ice cubes for whiskey and cocktails because each cube usually equals a half-cup. Perfect for cooking.
Step Two – Transfer Your Wine
Grab the wine you have leftover and fill each space in your tray. Don’t fill to the brim, as you don’t want the wine to spill over and merge with other cubes as it freezes.
Step Three – Cover The Top Of The Tray With Saran Wrap And Transfer To Freezer
After you have your tray filled, tear off a piece of Saran Wrap and cover the top of your tray, gently press down, allowing the plastic wrap to lightly touch the top of the wine. This prevents ice crystals from forming.
Pro-Tip! Keep in mind that while wine does freeze, the cubes don’t get as hard as water does and can take over 24 hours to do so, especially if you’re using large ice cube trays.
