This Is How Long Wine Lasts After Opening, According To An Expert
Hint: It might not be as long as you think.
Caitlin Bensel
Enjoying a glass of wine with company, but the bottle isn’t empty at the end of the night? Unfortunately, once you uncork the bottle, most wines will only last a few days. Though there are a few exceptions to the rule, generally speaking there’s a short window to still enjoy a wine in its prime after opening. “Some wines get better and better and better, but those are rarities in the world of wine,” says Andy Chabot, Sommelier and Senior Vice President of Food and Beverage at Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain.
Because there are nuances to every wine (vintage, grape, quality, how it was stored prior to opening, etc.), there are no hard-and-fast rules, but there are a few things to keep in mind from how to store leftover wine to keep it fresh longer to signs it’s past drinking.
Meet Our Expert
Andy Chabot is a Sommelier and Senior Vice President of Food and Beverage at Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain, two Relais & Châteaux resorts in Walland, Tennessee.
How Long Wine Lasts After Opening
While some break it down by type of wine (red, white, rose), Chabot recommends enjoying still wines within two days of opening and sparkling wines within one day. “My rule of thumb for still wines is no more than 48 hours,” he says. “Most still wines get really good in the space of 12-24 hours with their fruit flavors expanding, and their tannic or bitter qualities subsiding or being overtaken by those fruitier elements. After that, it is usually a slow decline in which the wine becomes flat, bitter, metallic, and alcoholic.”
When it comes to anything with bubbles, you’re better off finding a few friends to enjoy the bottle with upon opening. “For sparkling wine, I think no more than 24 hours with a champagne style stopper,” says Chabot. “I usually see a decline within 6-12 hours in the quality of the bubbles.”
What Affects The Shelf Life Of Opened Wine?
The age of a wine is one of the main things that impacts its shelf life once open. “Often the same qualities that allow a wine to be ‘age-worthy’ allow it to be better longer after opening,” says the sommelier. “A younger wine can withstand being open longer.”
Another factor are those qualities that become softer with decanting or age. “Wines with strong tannins or subdued fruit qualities usually require decanting or aging to meld more wholly into the wine,” he says.
On the other hand, less ‘age-worthy’ wines tend to maintain their same quality days after opening. “Very simple wines don’t have much to lose or gain from aeration, especially very simple white wines,” says Chabot. “Often they are perceived to be nearly as good for days after opening since they’re kept very cold and are more of an alcohol-delivery system than for fine wine for appreciation.”
Caitlin Bensel
Best Practices For Storing Open Wine
- Keep it at serving temperature. “Store it at a cool temperature, but not in the fridge or on the hot counter in your kitchen,” says Chabot, who suggests finding a cool, but not cold spot.
- Store the wine in a dark place. Keep opened (and unopened) bottles away from direct sunlight and heat sources.
- Put the cork back in the bottle. “That’s the simplest,” he says. “Always put the cork or bottle cap back on it.” Ensure it is tightly sealed with the original cork or a wine stopper.
- Transfer the wine to a smaller vessel. “Another thing we’ve done before, is you transfer the wine to a smaller container, like a half bottle decanter so that it is full to the top with wine and then seal it,” says the expert. “That is really good for preserving the freshness of a wine a bit longer.” The smaller the vessel, the less oxygen present in the bottle.
- Don’t allow it to heat up and cool down numerous times. “I’ve found some people suggest cooling wines way down, but allowing the temperature of the wine to fluctuate wildly after opening (putting a red in the fridge then allowing it to warm up and then doing that again for instance) takes away the pleasant qualities of a wine more quickly than anything,” says Chabot.
- Try a Coravin. “They make them for still and sparkling wine and they have changed the ability to consume fine wine at home because they truly work well at allowing you to draw a few glasses out and preserve the rest of the bottle for drinking at a later date weeks or even months later,” explains Chabot.
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Signs Your Opened Bottle Is Past Drinking
While wine doesn’t become harmful if left open too long, it won’t be enjoyable.
- The first indicator is it simply isn’t pleasant anymore. “Specifically, if the tannin, acid, or alcohol are now dominant qualities rather than all the elements being balanced,” says the expert.
- Secondly, if the wine has characteristics that weren’t present when you first opened it. Chabot describes it as “if the wine has taken on a cooked fruit or nutty unpleasantness that wasn’t part of the wine when you originally tasted it.”
Common Misconceptions About Open Wine
- That it should be stored in the refrigerator after opening. Though you also don’t want to keep wine in a warm environment, as this will accelerate the oxidation process, you also want to avoid introducing it to extremely fluctuating temperatures. The key is storing wine at a constant temperature—whether opened or unopened. A wine fridge at about 55 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal.
- After it’s past drinking enjoyment the only thing to do is pour it out. If your bottle has been open a few days and isn’t in its prime to drink, try cooking with it or turning it into vinegar instead.
Read the original article on Southern Living.