Unconventional Uses For Wine

Wine has become the choice drink of Millennials, Gen-Xers, as well as Gen Z kids who are old enough to drink. It's easy to see why there are so many wine drinkers out there, why wine accessories are so popular, and why there are even shirts that brag about wearers enjoying wine. Wine rules.

What most wine drinkers don't realize, though, is that wine is actually way more useful than they let on. Next time you end up with bottles that aren't to your taste, try out one of these unconventional uses for wine and leftover wine bottles.

Use wine bottles as decoration.

One of the nicest unconventional uses for wine bottles we've seen involves home decor. More specifically, it involves turning empty wine bottles into a home fashion statement.

Wine bottles are awesome when it comes to adding bohemian charm to any home. They just ooze a starving artist vibe. You can line them on shelves, use them as vases, or even make a wine bottle candle holder.

Once you've finished downing glass after glass of wine, stick a candle inside the top wine bottle. Ta da - you've made a wine bottle candle holder, without really spending a dime.

Of course, there's more than one way to get in on this wine candle holder project.

If you have a bottle cutter or a glass cutter, you might want to remove the bottom of the bottle, add a metal tray bottom, and stick a lit tealight inside the candle for a beautiful, haunting light fixture.

It's a DIY, cheap way to make a candle stay put at your dinner table - and it actually looks pretty, too. In terms of unconventional uses for wine, decoration definitely ranks high up there on our list.

Dab wine on your face as a skin softener.

You know how wine has all those antioxidants and minerals that allegedly help you prevent early aging? Well, cosmetic companies have been taking advantage of one of the more unconventional uses for wine.

Wine has been shown to be great for cleaning skin, reversing fine lines, and even adding a little blush to your face. This is why cosmetic groups have been making red wine moisturizers and creams.

You can just cut out the middle man by dabbing wine onto your face for a good, quick toner. The end result? Softer skin.

Use spoiled wine as a glass cleaner.

It's so disappointing when you go wine shopping, only to find that the bottles you got had spoiled wine in it. Though this may mean you'll have to go back to the liquor store for more wine, there is some good news to this.

There are some unconventional uses for wine that can save this batch. While you can't unspoil wine, you can repurpose it as a number of different household tools.

Since spoiled wine is basically vinegar, it can be used to clean glasses, plates, and windows in a pinch. Just add a couple of tablespoons of old wine into a spray bottle with water, and you've got yourself a great all-purpose window cleaner. (Note: You can also spruce up the smell of bad wine by adding some lavender oil, if you need to.)

Additionally, if you're low on vinegar, there's some good news on the horizon. Leaving wine out in the open for a couple of weeks will turn it into vinegar naturally.

Have red wine become your new fabric dye.

Hate red wine, but got gifted some, anyway? If the red wine you tried to drink doesn't suit your palate, there are some unconventional uses for wine that make it a still-decent buy.

Red wine, as many people know, really tends to hold onto fabric. So, why not turn it into a dye? Red wine can dye clothing a variety of shades. All you have to do is heat it ups on a stovetop, drop in the fabrics, and leave the fabrics there for 10 minutes.

Once the fabric has soaked, you'll have a newly dyed item. It's better to use a fresh wine for this, but if you do use old wine, it shouldn't alter the effects.

Use frozen wine as a flavor cube when you cook.

Cooking with wine - red or white - has always been popular. There's something about the tart tannins and the light tang that makes wine an amazing food additive. That's why we love beef in a red wine reduction, and why we love salmon with a white wine sauce.

Once you've finished drinking from a bottle, one of the more unconventional uses for wine leftovers is to create ice cubes with wine. These cubes can be added to pans that are braising beef, frying fish, or making a new sauce.

Most people don't realize wine can freeze, but it can. That's why this use is so unconventional - most people just forget it can be done. Ice cube "wine boullion" works particularly well with white wines used in seafood dishes.

Use wine to clean fruits and veggies.

One of the more unconventional uses for wine is to use it as a food rinse.

Wine can clean off sediments left on veggies, and also has been proven to kill bacteria like E.Coli. This means that fruits washed in wine are less likely to have bad stuff on them than fruits washed in water.

As a result of the ways wine can kill off bad stuff, many organic groups suggest using it as a rinse rather than relying on fluoridated tapwater.

Interestingly enough, white wines have been found to be a good kitchen disinfectant and stain remover by microbiologists. So, if you don't feel like rinsing veggies with wine, you can at least use the wine to give your countertop a cleaning.

Create a fruit fly trap out of red wine.

Fruit flies are a nuisance and a half. Dealing with an infestation of them can easily ruin your ability to enjoy a dinner in with friends. Thankfully, there are some really easy ways to kill fruit flies by the dozen -one of the easiest, of course, being wine.

To create a fly trap with wine, all you have to do is pour a little bit of red wine in a shot glass and wait. Fruit flies love the berry smell of red wine, and they all dive right in. However, the alcohol will end up dizzying them, killing them as they drown in the wine.

After leaving the shot glass out for about five days, pour it out. There probably won't be any fruit flies left in the room, because all the flies died in your shot glass.

Admittedly, this is one of the nastier unconventional uses for wine, but it's also insanely effective.

Use a wine bottle as a rolling pin.

Making cookies, but can't find a rolling pin? No problem, one of the more unconventional uses for wine bottles we've found is to use it as a substitute rolling pin.

It's heavy enough, sturdy enough, and also happens to be flat enough. Assuming you aren't strong as Popeye, you won't end up with glass shards in your cookie dough.

Make glasses out of wine bottles.

Yes, you can make drinking glasses out of your favorite wine bottles - or just use them to house trinkets.

To make drinking glasses, you will need a glass cutter, and some sanding paper. Simply cut the top off the wine bottle, then sand it down until it no longer is rough around the edges. Sanding shouldn't take too long - around 3 minutes usually works.

You can also use the "yarn and acetone" trick, too, if you don't want to deal with buying a glass cutter. Learn more about it here.