CANTERBURY TALES

Caterers surviving against the odds, and a modern forager shares his tips.

When wine’s mortal enemies, oxygen, heat and ultra-violet light, start to have their way, there are a few fun ideas to try.

Occasionally, there is wine left over after a dinner party or gathering in which too much was opened and too little drunk.

The next day, the wine just doesn’t seem as good; it has lost its energy and now seems boring. What to do?

The enemies of wine are oxygen, heat and ultra-violet light. Once a bottle of wine is open for a while, it’s likely it won’t deliver the same pleasure as it did when first opened (an exception is the high-quality red you may have opened too soon – it may well benefit from sitting quietly on the table overnight).

Option one is to drink the wine anyway – you paid for it. Option two is to tip it out and move on.

Option three is to repurpose the wine. For red wine, try fortifying it with some vodka or brandy. Add in a little sugar syrup and try creating a liqueur.

Use leftover wine to season rice in the pan before adding the stock. I find red wine better for risotto when making an earthy-flavoured dish, although my rule is: if the wine is awful, don’t put it in the food.

For white wine, try turning it into a kind of vermouth by soaking it in some fresh elderflower, sage, bay leaf and any other green herbs you have. The more bitter, the better. You’ll need to add a neutral spirit such as vodka to lock in the flavours. In just three-to-five days, the infusion can be strained and used as an aperitif or in cocktails.