Leftover Sparkling Wine Is Surprisingly Useful in the Kitchen

We love to pop a bottle of sparkling wine whenever we’re feeling fancy (or really, whenever the occasion calls for it). But what about when those celebratory bubbles fall flat? Rather than stashing a half-empty bottle of Brut in the back of the fridge never to be touched again, might we suggest tossing those leftovers into a lemon butter sauce instead? 

Sparkling wines like Champagne and Cava are an excellent addition to both savory and sweet recipes. Executive chef Lamar J. Moore knows a thing or two about cooking with bubbly wine: The Chopped alum currently leads the team at Chicago’s Bronzeville Winery, where he crafts elevated comfort favorites to pair with an extensive wine list. When cooking with sparkling wine, he advises leaning into the wine’s trademark sweetness. 

“With a still [white wine], you’re extracting a lot of tannins from the grape skins. So the more you reduce it, the more intense the flavor would be,” Moore explains. “With sparkling wine, you’re actually releasing that natural sugar.” 

What makes cooking with Champagne different from cooking with still wine?

Champagne and other sparkling wines share attributes of bright acidity with a slight nuttiness, which makes them exceptionally well-suited for sauce reductions. Try using them instead of a white wine in recipes that call for a touch of sweetness.

One challenge when cooking with freshly popped sparkling wine, though? Natural carbonation. The wine’s evanescent bubbly nature can interact with other ingredients, like baking soda, to impact leavening. While its flavor profile might easily complement a buttery biscuit batter, Moore says the actual chemistry can make this recipe (figuratively) fall flat. 

What are the best recipes that use sparkling wine? 

Sparkling wine blends especially well with seafood, butter-based sauces, and desserts. Moore suggests incorporating it into a sweet corn pudding or even something savory, such as salty scallops. 

However, proceed with caution whenever mixing sparkling wine into something strongly acidic (like a chipotle-lime vinaigrette). While Moore says it might be tempting to attempt a sweet-and-spicy contrast here, the dressing’s sharp flavor profile can easily drown out the sparkling wine. Instead, he suggests using Champagne in a chicken or seafood marinade.

How to balance sugar levels when cooking

If you notice that you’ve poured a bit too much sparkling wine into a dish, adding a fat, like butter, can aid in counteracting excessive sugar content. When crafting butter-based reductions, he recommends adding ingredients like black peppercorn, bay leaves, and a touch of cream for balance.

Ultimately: Savor a glass and store your bubbly properly, but never let good wine go to waste.