The Wax Paper Trick To Effortlessly Re-Cork Open Wine Bottles

There are about five glasses of wine in your average wine bottle, but not every wine-drinking occasion calls for enjoying all five of those glasses in one sitting. This is good news for anyone who loves wine, as having a wine bottle that isn't entirely depleted may mean a future opportunity to enjoy another glass. As we see it, having to figure out what to do with leftover wine is far from the worst problem you could have! But you do need a plan to keep leftover wine fresh. 

First of all, your plan to store opened wine should start with choosing a date (as in the calendar kind, not the Tinder kind) to finish it off. As Wine Spectator explains, opened wine will start to oxidize, which causes it to lose some of its fruity taste and even makes it taste bitter. To finish off opened wine while it still tastes good, MasterClass advises drinking it between three to five days after opening — if properly stored. As for the logistics of how to properly store opened wine, having some wax paper in the cupboards could come in handy.

If you happen to have a wine stopper available, that tool can be useful for storage and preventing wine from going bad. MasterClass explains that opened wine that is earmarked to be finished at a later date should be recorked quickly with a tight seal like the one a rubber wine stopper can provide. If you don't have a wine stopper, having some wax paper can be useful for the task.

After opening the bottle, be sure to keep the cork! MasterClass advises keeping the original cork for the wine and wrapping it with wax paper before putting it back into place. Wax paper is an efficient solution with two benefits, including helping to ease unyielding corks back into place and preventing pesky pieces of cork from falling into the wine. From there, store the bottle in the refrigerator: The cold air will help prevent the wine from oxidizing further.

While the use of a little wax paper may help prevent wine from being wasted, there may be a second life for spoiled wine if it gets to that point. Old wine can be used for marinating meats like steak. And, if you like to drink a little wine while you cook, you can start the whole delicious cycle all over again! Just open a new bottle — don't drink the spoiled stuff.