What to do with Mediocre Wine?

I recently read an article in one of the various wine and food magazines I subscribe to entitled “When a Mediocre Wine is Good News”. The author, rather than lamenting the dreaded experience of opening a bottle of wine and finding it to be less spectacular then hoped, actually embraced the situation by using the wine as an inspiration in creating some wonderful new dishes.

While most chefs and foodies will agree you would never want to cook with wines you would not drink, cooking with an ok wine is considered acceptable.  As someone who loves to cook and is constantly experimenting with food and wine- both together in the same dish and separately but served together in food and wine pairings- I have a few other thoughts on mediocre wine and what you can do get the most out of it.

First off I would like to mention if you open a wine and are a bit disappointed make sure the wine is at the right temperature before you rush to judgment.  There is nothing more easily tweaked nor a mistake more easily made then serving temperature. Nothing can change the taste of a wine as much as the temperature and wines served too cold or too warm will not show their best.  It is amazing what even just 5-10 degrees can do for a wine!  The second thing is if the wine you are not feeling the love for is a red wine it is entirely possible it just needs a little time to open up.  Especially if the wine is young.  So before you decide the wine is only good for cooking… let it breath.  I can’t tell you how many times I have opened a bottle of red wine and found it tight and less than interesting only to give it time.  Sometimes a wine needs an hour or two and some can even benefit from being open over night.   But when you find yourself in that predicament where there is just no way around the fact that you have purchased a wine that is a bit of a dud, I have some ideas on how to enjoy the wine anyway.  You can even have a bit of fun while you are at it and these two ideas are perfect for warmer weather and summertime gatherings. The first recommendation is to make Sangria.  Just add seasonal fresh fruit and some sparkling water or citrus flavored soda and you have a fun wine punch with a kick.  Great for barbeques and can be made with both white and red wines. Wine coolers can be very nice and refreshing and I especially like them made with big red wines.  Just mix seven- up with your wine and serve over ice.  Perfect for that day at the river when you will no doubt get too much sun and will need some refreshing libations too keep you cool.

But the best way to reduce the times you end up with a wine you are not overly crazy about is to taste before you buy.  Those of us living here can do that by visiting our local wineries and checking out the current releases.   Makes it easy to find wines you really like and takes the guess work out of it all.  Not only easier, but so much more fun then standing in the wine isle in the grocery store  perplexed at the huge array of wines with no idea as to the quality or taste of any of them. For so many who like wine and want to be more adventurous, the thought of making a mistake forces us to buy the same wines over and over again.  Life is too short for that and visiting your local winery takes all the guess work out of finding great wines.  Trust me there is no shortage of quality, delicious wine made right here!   I can’t remember the last time I made Sangria or wine coolers….