“I didn’t know you could do that.”

If you’re one of the rare people who has leftover wine after opening a bottle, why not save it for recipes or sauces instead of throwing it down the drain?

TikTok food enthusiast Lorna (@dicedanddished) showed her followers a simple way to store wine so it’s just as fresh days or weeks after buying it.

@dicedanddished Leftover wine tip freeze your wine! #nowaste #foodwaste #cookinghacks #cookingtips ♬ original sound – Lorna C | Dice and dishes |

The scoop

Lorna explains that this tip works best if you have an “annoyingly small amount” of wine left – around a quarter of a bottle or less. Then you’ll simply portion it into an ice cube tray and freeze it until you’re ready to make something in the kitchen.

She says it’s helpful to weigh how much you pour into each slot so you know exactly how much is going into your recipe.

“If I’m making a recipe like a stew or a sauce or something, I can literally take them out of the freezer and I know that for every one of those ice cubes, there’s about 25 (milliliters) of wine,” she explains in the video. “And I can just insert a few into the recipe as needed.”

If you don’t feel like another glass of wine, this is a great way to give it a second life and also enhance the flavor of your recipes.

How it helps

Even if you spend less than $10 on a bottle of wine, you don’t want your hard-earned money to go to waste if you don’t finish it within the first few days. With this tip, you can reuse wine and avoid having to buy another bottle for a recipe. Plus, you’ll save time at the grocery store buying wine, giving you more time to prepare your favorite meal.

Saving your wine also benefits the planet since wine production is energy-intensive and requires a lot of resources, such as water. Some research shows that it takes around 800 liters of water to produce a single liter of wine, which is a little more than a bottle’s worth. Additionally, winery wastewater is highly acidic and can contaminate soil and groundwater, according to BTL Liners.

Additionally, according to the Conservation Law Foundation, nearly 3 billion bottles of wine end up in landfills each year, taking up valuable space and releasing harmful, planet-warming gases.

What is the most common reason you end up throwing away food?

I bought more than I could eat

It went wrong sooner than expected

I forgot it was in the fridge

I didn’t want any leftovers

Click on your choice to see the results and express your opinion

Fortunately, organizations like TooGoodToGo and Misfits Market help customers get deep discounts on leftover food and unwanted products, reducing the amount of food waste in landfills. Making more with your leftovers, as Lorna’s genius wine tip demonstrated, is one way to take control of your household food waste and save money on groceries.

What people say

Other wine lovers were eager to put their leftover wine to good use.

“This is so helpful! I didn’t know you could do that, thank you,” one person commented.

“So smart,” said another.

“I do this, it’s a really good no-waste tip,” shared another.

Join our free newsletter to get simple tips for save more And waste lessand don’t miss this cool list of simple ways to help yourself while helping the planet.