Warm days and nights make summer the perfect time to relax with a chilled glass of wine. Crisp whites and light, smooth reds are always good, and a refreshing rosé is best
enjoyed during the summer months. Despite how much you may enjoy whatever wine you are drinking this summer, sometimes there’s some leftover that you know you won’t drink. It could be because there’s just not enough left for a full glass, or you’ve just thrown a party and can’t bear the thought of finishing the bottom half of the bottle. Whatever your reasons may be, there’s still plenty you can do with your leftover wine before it’s past its prime.

1. Freeze your wine in an ice cube tray 

One of the best things about is it that it will keep the wine from going bad, giving you more than a week or so to use it. There is so much you can do with frozen wine cubes. If you freeze cubes of a specific wine you know you drink regularly, they can be used to quickly chill a room temperature glass of that wine without watering it down. Wine cubes are also a perfect addition to any homemade sangria or blended drink. Use your leftover rosé and make a frozen rosé slushie. Finally, wine cubes can save you come time to make dinner — use it to ramp up your sauces or glazes.

2. Use it around the house

Though it might seem strange, there are many different household uses for wine depending on the type you have on hand. For example, white wine can be used to neutralize a red wine spill. If someone spills red wine on a light rug or couch, pour white wine directly over it, let it soak for ten minutes, and then rinse with water. Typically, fighting fire with fire, or in this case wine with wine, works. White wine can also be used to fight grease stains when mixed with baking soda. Scrub the grease stained area, let it sit for a few minutes, and then wipe the solution away. Household uses aren’t just limited to white wine. You can rinse produce in red wine mixed with water. The red wine helps to kill surface bacteria.

3. Cook with it

There are an incredible amount of recipes that benefit from a splash or more of wine. Using the wine you drink may even be better than using cooking wine because cooking wines typically have higher amounts of sodium and additives. Cooking sauces with wine will keep keep the flavor, but kill the alcohol. If you have leftover red wine and a crazy sweet tooth, you can have the best of both worlds and make a red wine chocolate cake. It might take some patience, but the end result is worth it.

Whatever your reasons for having leftover wine this summer, don’t toss it down the drain. There’s plenty you can do with it. Next time you’re out at the liquor store, switch it up with a shandy for the end of summer if you've grown tired of wine. If you run out of your drink of choice, be sure to pick up some more, along with Niki Ganong’s Field Guide to Drinking in America so that you know where you can buy your favorite wine no matter where you are in the country.