“just a cup” rosé wine jelly
I’m very aware that many folks would say that there’s no such thing as leftover wine. The one and only solution for what to do with leftover wine is drink it, right? Well, I’m here to argue for the unpopular opinion that leftover wine exists, and a great thing to do with it is make jelly. I can no longer count the number of times I’ve started a bottle of wine and forgotten about it until it was too late.
I like wine jelly and have made a number of iterations of it over the years. That said, I also like wine, and if I open a bottle I want to be able to drink some. So, I developed this microbatch wine jelly recipe. It takes just a cup of wine and makes just a half pint (or two quarter pints). That way, you can enjoy most of the bottle, save some for later, and avoid those wasted bits at the end of the bottle.
And, if you can spare a cup of a bottle that you really love, I also think this is a neat way to save and remember a favorite bottle. I think rosé is especially nice for color and flavor, but any wine will work.
Servings: 2 quarter pints
Ingredients
- 3/4 teaspoon Pomona’s Universal Pectin powder
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup rosé wine
- 1/2 teaspoon Pomona’s Universal Pectin calcium water prepared according to package instructions
- 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Because recipes made with Pomona’s Universal Pectin have such a short cook time, have your jars prepped and out of the water bath before you even start cooking the jelly. I like doing this in 2 quarter pints, since the batch size is so small. Because the batch is so small, you can also skip the water bath altogether and stash this in the fridge if you prefer.
- Stir together pectin and sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
- Combine the wine, calcium water, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, gradually add the pectin-sugar mixture, whisking continually to help it dissolve.
- Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more while whisking to dissolve the pectin. Remove from the heat and use a clean spoon to skim off any foam.
- Ladle into prepared quarter-pint jars, leaving 1/4 -inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and wipe rims. Place the lids on the jars and screw on the bands until they are fingertip tight.
- Process in a water-bath canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude as needed.
- After 24 hours, check the seals. Label, date, and store out of direct sunlight without the bands for up to a year.