Many people have encountered this problem. You open a bottle of wine, but you can’t drink it all right away. Leftover red wine is like a chicken cutlet, it tastes tasteless, but it’s a shame to throw it away. So, can you save the rest of the wine for another time? If so, what is its shelf life? If you want to know the answer, just follow me!
The question of how long wine can be kept after opening a bottle cannot be summarized in a simple way. We need to analyze the specific situation in order to get a definitive answer. Generally speaking, fortified wines have a very long shelf life after opening. With proper storage, they can last up to a month. For other wines, the shelf life after opening is only about 3 to 5 days. Therefore, we will tell you the exact answer according to the different types of wines and the different storage methods.
1. Sparkling wine
When the bottle of sparkling wine is opened, the carbon dioxide dissolved in the wine overflows from the bottle in the form of air bubbles due to the reduced pressure, quickly bringing the odorous chemicals and fatty acids in the sparkling wine to the surface, making the wine a pleasant tasting experience. However, over time, the bubbles disappear from the bottle and the sparkling wine becomes tasteless, thus losing its beauty.
For this reason, sparkling wine should be consumed immediately after opening the bottle to experience the best taste. If you can’t finish it, you should also cork the bottle immediately and keep it in the refrigerator. The shelf life is 1 to 3 days. Generally speaking, Cava sparkling wines and champagnes made by the traditional champagne method have a slightly longer shelf life than Prosecco made by the secondary fermentation method in barrels.
2. Off-white, sweet white and pink wines
Most white and pink wines are stored in the refrigerator for about a week (5 to 7 days) if they are sealed with a cork after opening. On the first day after opening, these wines will experience only slight oxidation, so slight that you will hardly notice it. In addition, some mineral-flavored wines, such as Pinot Grigio from northern Italy, Riesling from France, and Vin de France, will taste better due to slight oxidation.
3. Full-bodied white wines
Compared to light white wines, full-bodied white wines have a shorter shelf life due to their low acidity. Like Chardonnay and Viognier, these bottles are opened and sealed with oak corks. Wines stored in the refrigerator have a shelf life of only 3 to 5 days. If you prefer this kind of wine, the best thing to do is to buy a bottle of vacuum Qilei.
4、Red wine
For red wines, the higher the acidity and the higher the tannin content, the longer the wine will last after opening the bottle. Therefore, a full-bodied Shiraz has a longer shelf life than a Pinot Noir, which is lighter and has lower tannin content. In general, red wines should be opened, sealed with a cork, and stored in a cool place. The shelf life is 3 to 5 days. In the absence of a refrigerator, store it in a room with a room temperature of about 21°C, with ventilation.
