How you can save every drop of your favourite tipple – just like Nigella

FRUGAL wine drinkers are increasingly turning to savvy tricks to preserve every drop in the bottle.

While some consumers are sticking with old methods, including freezing leftover wine to use later in cooking, others are adopting more modern solutions, with demand for wine preservation devices soaring in the past year.

The average price of a bottle of wine sold in the UK has soared to £6.34 – an 11 per cent increase in four years – according to research by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA).

Matt Anslow, a wine specialist for online alcohol retailer ClickNDrink, said: ‘The cost-of-living crisis is inevitably impacting life’s little luxuries. With prices rising across pubs, bars and restaurants, consumers are eager to drink at home to save their money.

‘Wine preservation systems are key to making your money go further.’

Once a bottle has been opened, the wine begins to oxidise. Reds, champagne and sparkling wines can spoil in as little as a day, while white wine can usually last for around three days.

But wine preservation systems can stop this oxidation process, extending the life of the liquid by as much as six months.

Mr Anslow added: ‘The cheapest and most popular method is a vacuum system consisting of a rubber stopper and small hand-pump.

‘Pumping the handle removes the oxygen from the bottle – when you can’t pump any more, the job is done.’

Waitrose said it had seen a 52 per cent increase in the sale of pumps in the past year, which can extend the lifespan of a bottle by six to ten days and cost from £8.

However, Federica Zanghirella, vice president of the UK Sommelier Association, said wine preservation systems with argon gas had the best results.

A product by the firm Coravin, which retails for around £130, allows wine to be poured from a bottle without it being uncorked.

Argos gas then ensures that oxygen does not touch any remaining wine, thus preserving the remaining liquid for up to six months. Experts recommend that red and white wines are refrigerated once opened and should be stored upright to reduce the surface area that interacts with the oxygen.

However, unopened bottles should be stored horizontally, in the dark, to keep the cork moist and slow down the oxidation process.

Ms Zanghirella also debunked the myth that putting a spoon in sparkling wine preserves it for longer. ‘This does not work at all,’ she said. ‘Sparkling wine can only be preserved with a wine stopper and can still only be kept for three days.’ Leftover wine can also be frozen for use in cooking or even in frozen cocktails – as favoured by celebrity chef Nigella Lawson.

Opened spirits last much longer – between six months and a year – because they have a much higher alcohol content. ‘Dark spirits including brandy, whiskey and rum reach their peak taste after six to eight months.

‘After that they will slowly change flavour,’ Ms Zanghirella said.

‘Clear spirits like vodka, gin and tequila are a bit more stable in flavour, but still when the bottle is open they should be drunk within one year.

‘All spirits should be stored out of direct sunlight with a tight lid to avoid alcohol evaporation,’ she added.

‘The cost-of-living crisis is impacting life’s luxuries’