How To keep Wine Fresh After Opening

Are you getting worried about your remaining wine bottle after opening it? It may develop a sour taste and aroma after exposure to air.

• Don’t worry; we will discuss tips to help you enjoy your wine bottle for days after opening it.

You have a wine bottle and need only wine glass of it. You worry that opening the whole bottle may develop a sour taste after some days.

• You realize you can’t finish the entire bottle in one sitting, but you need it. Some tips can increase the shelf life of food when stored after opening it. 

Keeping it airtight in cool, dry places can make it helpful to you for days.

This article will cover simple ways to keep an open wine bottle, how long you can enjoy it or what factors make it spoiled.

Let’s start the journey.

Tips for storing wine fresh after opening it

An opened drink bottle may undergo an oxidation process naturally, but here are some tips and hacks that can help you slow down this process quickly.

1. Recork it immediately

After pouring it out, close it immediately. Your first defense against wine spoilage is re-coking it immediately.

• It will keep the drink fresh and long-lasting. It limits the time exposure of wine to environmental oxygen and keeps it fresh. 

Another tip is placing the same end of the cork in the right place; it will have the same exposure to the bottle as was the last time.

2. Keep it airtight 

Keep the bottle airtight by placing a cork immediately after pouring it. Its cork needs to stay moist to settle grimly in place.

• It will protect it from outside air and aroma. Keep the bottle upright so the cork will remain firmly in a constant direction. 

You can also use a rubber stopper for additional safety.

3. Keep it upright 

Keep the bottle upright in a cool shady area or the fridge.

It will not build gas in it, and only a limited surface will be exposed to the oxygen.

It will reduce the harmful reactions happening inside the bottle.

4. Store in a dry place away from sunlight

Wine bottles are not sunproof. Harsh lights and ultraviolet rays from the sun can easily affect the wine in the bottles.

It is reported that placing wine bottles in sunlight produces a numb and dumb taste.

• The sunlight fastens the sulfur-releasing processes within the wine, quickly alters its aroma, and ultimately creates a sour taste. 

So always keep wine bottles in a cool temperature, dry place, cool dark place, and in a shady area.

• Remember, if you have to preserve opened bottles for a long time, avoid buying wine bottles placed in a display wine rack or those available in clear bottles.

Try to buy it available in dark-colored or green bottles. These bottles or tinted glass packaging offer some protection from UV rays.

If you have to store them without refrigeration, keep them low to the ground or in a cabinet away from fluorescent light.

5. Store it in cool places

Almost all homes have a refrigerator, an excellent option for keeping fruits, vegetables, cooked items, and an unopened bottle of wine, even open bottles of wine for days.

As you immediately place food leftovers in the fridge, do similar with an opened wine bottle.

• The cool environment will not trigger the sulphur releasing process but will stop or slow it down. It will slow the oxidation process in wine, thus keeping it fresh for days.

6. Use of inert gas: The eager choice

Argon is an inert gas that can increase the drink’s shelf life without altering its color, taste, and flavor.

Spraying argon in a leftover wine bottle will help you enjoy it for a long time.

• Argon is heavier than oxygen, so it stays at the top and creates a barrier to oxygen entry.

7. Use a vacuum pump: The reasonable choice

Another trick is removing extra air from the bottle while pouring a glass. Use a vacuum pump to do so.

• The lesser oxygen, the less will be damage to your drink. Now various companies have offered vacuum pumps for this purpose. 

These pumps have a stopper, so insert it in the bottle and attach the pump to it. It will remove extra oxygen from it.

It is not an effective method, as various persons have reported that the vacuum pump left nearly 70% of the air in the bottle. Also, some people have reported seal leakage over time.

8. Use air stoppers

If you do not have a cork or have thrown it away, take a stopper from the market and place it right on the bottle.

• These metal or plastic stoppers create an air-tight seal.

Some people find putting the cork back a problematic option, so for them, it is best to use stoppers.

7. Invest in a Coravin

If you frequently throw away good leftover wine, invest in a Coravin wine preservation system.

• This device, which costs $100 and up, sticks a needle into the cork without displacing the material, allowing you to pour out the wine while the bottle remains sealed.

As soon as the pin is pulled out, the cork expands back to its normal shape, preventing oxygen from entering.

• Restaurants rely on this system – which can keep an opened bottle fresh for weeks – to sell high-end wine bottles by the glass.

It’s definitely a bigger investment, but it matters if you are a wine enthusiast.

Some common queries

How to tell if the wine gets spoiled?

• The first sign is the change of color. The oxidation process releases sulphur compounds that will change their color.

But initially, the color change is not the proper indication as it may still be suitable.

Its red color will start changing into dark brown or bright tones. The white wines will change to yellow.

• The other indication is taste. After turning bad, red wine will change its taste too nutty and sour, whereas white wines will develop a sour taste.

This method is also convenient for testing the integrity of your wine when you are eating out.

• Do a taste test (don’t worry – bad wine won’t upset you). With red wines that have gone “bad,” you’ll find that the flavor and aromas flatten out and the fresh flavors are replaced by nutty, sherry notes.
• White wine develops a sour, vinegar-like flavor.

Note: According to research, Red wine if taken in moderation keeps heart healthy. It contains antioxidants that helps to prevent heart disease.

Can the leftover wine be poured into a small sealed container?

• Pouring leftover wine in a small container is the right option only when you have lost the cork or the bottle seals need to be fixed.

It will minimize air exposure to much extent. However, all drinks will have contact with air while pouring, which may trigger the oxidizing process.

But as the small container does not have space for air, it will keep it fresh.

What’s the shelf life of wine?

• You can drink red and white wines unopened for up to one year. For unopened wine- champagne and sparkling wine, it’s about six months.

And what about after opening? The acidity in white wines like Riesling and Sauvignon blanc ensures that they stay fresh for about three days after opening, while most opened red wine should be drunk out after one or two days.

• To preserve opened wine or wine storage for longer than a week, remove as much air as possible with a device such as the Rabbit Vacuum Pump and wet the stopper first to seal it as tightly as possible.

What to do with oxidized wine?

• If you’ve stored your wine properly – in a sealed bottle in the refrigerator – but the taste or color is a little off, a slightly oxidized wine can still be used in cooking.

I find they work best in recipes with long cooking times, like stews, sauces, or marinades, so the alcohol cooks off and the flavors meld seamlessly.

When you’re at a point of no return, consider turning your leftover wine into vinegar.

• All you need is raw vinegar, a clean jar, and an old wine bottle, just mix all these ingredients and store the concoction in your pantry, and in about a month you’ll have delicious vinegar to cook with.

Plus, you can always put the leftover wine back in the container to keep making vinegar.

Takeaway

• Food leftovers are always welcomed, but in the case of wine, it raises many risks to its taste and flavor. 

• Now you have a good idea about how to keep the wine fresh and long-lasting.

• Always choose the right option, as beverages can change taste quickly if care needs to be taken properly. 

• There is no exact expiry date for any wine. You can do something right to make it useful for as long as possible.