Open Bottle of Red

[Stone]

Maybe there's no one answer for this, but how long will an open bottle of red last? How should it be stored?

[KatieLoeb]

Maybe there's no one answer for this, but how long will an open bottle of red last?  How should it be stored?

Immediately transfer the rest of the contents to a smaller container (i.e. an empty 375ml "half" bottle, a clean Snapple bottle, etc.) so there's less surface area for the air to contact. Use a cork or a bottle stopper of the sort you'd use for soda (the rubber ones with the foldover thingie) if your receptacle doesn't have an airtight seal. It should be OK for a day or two in a cool place (garage, basement, refrigerator) then allowed to come back to room temp before serving.

I rarely have this problem...

[eat2much]

I buy the cans of inert gas to preserve wine. It will keep a bottle going for a few days without a tremendous loss of quality. Or, simply drink up! Waste not, want not.

[g.johnson]

You want one of these boys.

[Stone]

Well, Mr. Johnson, you'll notice that it says "gift".

[carpet bagger]

There are a number of variables in determining how long. If it is a new release of a big huge in your face red, then the longer is probably better. The extra time will likely soften the wine inside. Taste the wine each night for one to five and see how it progresses. You may find it tastes better 3 nights down the line. If it an older wine chances are that if you don't drink it the first night it will probably topple. I remember in 1986 I drank a bottle of Clos de Lambray (not spelled correcly) 1937. 49 years old. Four of us had one pour each which was live and we really enjoyed very much. The next pour was litterally dead. Not vinegar, just like dirty dish water. I once had a 1995 Araujo Syrah, which I thought was slightly corked, and certainly not drinkable. I brought it home from the restaurant and by accident did not open it again for 30 days. As a lark I decided to taste it before pouring it down the sink. Boy was I shocked to find not only was it drinkable but one of the most complex, intense,long finish memeorable red wines I have ever had. So you tell me how long can a red wine be open?

[pixelchef]

Does all of this apply to white wines as well? For example, a semi-dry Riesling? :)

[carpet bagger]

I can't offer an answer for reisling. I can tell you of an experience with a white Burgundy. I opened a bottle of 1989 Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne in 1996. We had already drunk quite a bit of winebut needed a little more. We only had a couple of glasses out of this bottle. I forgot about it overnight, leaving the bottle open. Not even a cork in it. To my surprise it was even better than either the earlier or this one the night before. Up till then I didn't think that white wines could be handled that way.

[SFJoe]

They come in single serving packages for a reason.

If you can't clean your plate, drink instead high acid European white wine that will improve in the fridge: good artisanal Muscadet, Vouvray, Montlouis, Austrian riesling, Sancerre, and so on. These will often be better the second or third day.

But it's risky. Much better to be safe and drink up.

[gknl]

Get a sun tea jar (glass jar with a spigot on the bottom), dump the wine in and instead of the lid, cover it with cheesecloth and a rubber band. Wait longer than you think it should take and you'll have really great red wine vinegar.

[ctgm]

I have and sell a Vin de Table from Domaine La Bouissiere in Gigondas and find that this benefits from being open for 2 or 3 days. Open bottle with a cork shoved on top.

Bordeaux/Burgundy I find goes off unless using a vacuum cork

[Ron Johnson]

I do not subscribe to this theory of making an airtight seal by transfering to another smaller container, pouring gas on top, or any other trick UNLESS you need to the wine to stay good for 4 or more days.

If you are going to drink it with dinner the following night or the night after, just stick the cork back in and set it somewhere cool and dark. The fridge is fine as long as you let it come back up to temp before you drink.

As many have said in this thread, a lot of wines will be better the second day.

[Craig Camp]

Maybe there's no one answer for this, but how long will an open bottle of red last?  How should it be stored?

You are right - there is no single answer it depends on the wine. The wines SFJoe mentions are certainly a good bet for standing up well but beyond that it's up for grabs. What it comes down to is that some wines will oxidize very quickly while others improve dramatically. Big, fat, oaky, 'internationally styled' wines tend to fall apart the fastest, while wines with higher acids and tannins handle oxygen better. As a general rule if the wine won't age well it also won't hold up well in the open bottle - even overnight. The first thing to go is the fruit flavor – so if the only thing a wine has going for it is big fruit and big oak it will probably not hold up well.

I open about 50 bottles a week at home so I have bottles sitting around everywhere in various states of exposure to air - much to the pleasure of my wife. I currently use the Zepter vacuum pump VacSy or the Vacuvin, then refrigerate wines that I think may not store well. Cold slows down the oxidation process. One thing I would disagree with from some of the posts here is the idea of pouring the wine into a different container. The act of pouring the wine out of the bottle is the single greatest thing you can do to mix the wine with oxygen. This is one of the main reasons your pour a wine into a decanter instead of just opening the bottle. Remember oxygen is the enemy if you want the wine to last.

If you don’t finish the bottle you will end up with some winners and losers in the next days. Some decline after one night while some are improving for days. Good luck – they still surprise me – some I think will keep don’t and vice versa. I have had bottles that I seal and refrigerate fall apart and wines that I forget even to re-cork end-up tasting great. Don’t forget older wines will not usually hold up well after opening.

Then of course there is the factor personal taste. You may like a wine better after a day while another preferred it when just opened.

Gee ... why do people who are not into wine think we are wine geeks?

[tommy]

I open about 50 bottles a week at home

i want your job.

[Craig Camp]

I open about 50 bottles a week at home

i want your job.

I don't actually drink them I do research on corkscrews.

[Wilfrid]

Then can we be your friends?

[Liza]

What Wilfrid said.

I believe Andrea Immer tested the bottles recommended in her book by how well they lasted sitting open on the counter.