Alternate Uses for Cheap, Undrinkable Red Wine

Those of us who enjoy wines occasionally end up with a bottle of red that tastes just downright nasty. Rather than pouring it out (as tempting as it is), you may discover like I did that even cheap, bad tasting red wine is worth keeping. Here are some alternate uses that may surprise you.

Dyeing your hair.

To add warmer colors to natural hair dyes, some recipes on the internet called for substituting the water for red wine instead. Red wine can also be applied directly to shampooed hair and allowed to set for a few minutes before rinsing.

Getting rid of a fruit fly infestation.

Fruit that has been allowed to overripen on the counter can lead to a fruit fly infestation. One easy way to get rid of those flies is to pour a few ounces of cheap red wine in a glass, and set it out in the areas where they gather. The flies climb in to the glass, get drunk and then drown.

Make wine vinegars.

Years ago, a local celebrity chef got me started on making fantastic wine vinegars using a culture and cheap red wine. You can make your own culture (I found some great instructions at howtodothings.com ) or buy a ready made Mother-of-Vinegar starter culture on-line for about $9.

Use for marinading tough steaks.

The acids in cheap red wine do an amazing job of tenderizing tough steaks. And in case you are worried about the flavor transferring, it seems to flash off in the grilling leaving behind a sweet flavor instead. My favorite homemade marinade calls for a 1:1 ratio of cheap red wine and teriyaki sauce, plus garlic and fresh ground pepper to taste. The steaks should marinade for at least a couple of hours before grilling.

Dye Easter eggs.

For those of us who have ever struggled with getting out red wine stains on a white tablecloth, we know all about the color fastness of wine. Cheap red wine is great for dying Easter eggs and tee shirts, and can also be used to tint scraps of white cotton for crafting.