5 Things To Do With Leftover Chardonnay
If you’re one of those miraculous people who happens to have wine “left over” when you open a bottle, this one is for you.
Whether you have half a bottle of just a smidgeon left form the night before, don’t dump it down the drain and put your Chardonnay to good use!
Drink it!
How long does an open bottle of wine last, you ask? This is just a friendly PSA that if you are storing your wine in the refrigerator firmly corked after opening, you still have about 2-5 days to enjoy it! The taste will change subtly as the wine oxidizes (aka is exposed to oxygen). The fruit character of the wine will wane and it will be less vibrant, but the wine is still drinkable as long as you are enjoying it!
Freeze in ice-cubes to chill down a glass
If you’re sipping while it’s warm outside, use this trick to cool down your Chardonnay. Pour your “saved” wine in to ice cube molds and freeze them (covered with plastic wrap is best) for up to a month. Then simply pop a cube or two to chill down your “fresh” glass of Chardonnay! If you’re a wine with ice kind of person (no judgement!) then this is a great way to chill down your glass without diluting your wine with water.
Keep in mind, the alcohol will keep the wine cubes from freezing completely, so expect them to be a little slush.
Chardonnay should typically be served at around 50 degrees - which is about 30 minutes in the refrigerator from room temperature. At Sea Bird Wine, we typically find that white wines are enjoyed best when they’re not bracingly cold, since it helps open up the delicious fruit character. But the best wine is the wine you enjoy drinking, so whatever temperature pleases YOU is the best way to enjoy it.
Stir up Chardonnay sangria
Perfect for when we’re on the latter end of that “5 to 7 days” since the wine has been open, keep the good times going by making a Chardonnay sangria!
We love this simple sangria recipe from The Spruce Eats that’s perfect with just a few ingredients.
- 3 oranges (cut into wedges; or 1 cup orange juice)
- 1 lemon (cut into wedges)
- 1 lime (cut into wedges)
- 25 ounces/750mL white wine (1 bottle)
- Optional: 2 ounces brandy
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 2 cups/.5 liter ginger ale (or club soda)
Squeeze the juice from the citrus wedges into the pitcher. Remove the seeds and toss in the wedges. If you're using orange juice, add it now.
Pour the wine into the pitcher.
Add the brandy (if using) and the sugar. Stir very well to ensure that all of the sugar is dissolved.
Add the ginger ale or club soda just before serving so the sangria retains its sparkle.
Enjoy a Chardonnay spritzer
3 parts wine / 1 part club soda / squeeze of citrus
This is the perfect aperitif beverage if you’re sipping pre-dinner or day-drinking. No recipe needed, just eye-ball what you have on hand. Club soda is a great stand-in, but feel free to use any bubbly soda that isn’t too sweet like a lemon-lime sparkling water or your favorite La Croix.
Dish up a white wine sauce for a super simple dinner
As our girl Julia Child once said: “I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food…” and that is the kind of Great Times we’re looking for.
Right now more than ever, we are loving any recipe that comes together fast with pantry essentials. This is our go-to on a Monday night when we enjoyed a little bit of Robert’s Road Chardonnay with Sunday dinner the night before!
- Sauté a few cloves of chopped garlic in a tablespoon of butter.
- Add in about a 1/2 cup of Chardonnay and reduce slightly.
- Remove from heat, stir in 1-2 more tablespoons of butter and some fresh tender herbs.
- Toss over piping hot al dente pasta with some cheese and lots of cracked pepper.
Remember, in order to have leftover wine…you need to have a good bottle to begin with! Start by popping the cork on our 2015 Sangiacomo Robert’s Road Chardonnay from Sonoma Coast. This wine is delicious, and award winning, if we do say so ourselves!
