Recently, one of our readers asked us for our advice/guidelines on recorking bottles, saving and storing open wines for later.
So it here goes.
Once a bottle of wine has been uncorked…or unscrewed, as more and more wineries embrace screw caps…the wine’s aging process accelerates.
This can be mitigated to some degree by immediately re-sealing the bottle after pouring the wine into glasses, or by using one of several products on the market that utilizes certain processes to return the wine to its “unopened” state.
But in our experience, the wine still loses “something” even when such products are used, whether it’s the strength of its aroma or its freshness on the palate. Thus, don’t plan on keeping an opened bottle more than a few days, because with each passing hour, it will lose a little bit of its personality, or what we like to call its “oomph.”
Some urge against it, but it’s perfectly fine to put the re-sealed bottle in the refrigerator for a day (no more). Just be sure to take it out at least an hour before reopening it the next day.
Older wines will “devolve” more quickly than younger ones, so keep that in mind as well.
If we had to commit to a specific time frame, we’d strongly suggest finishing off any bottle within three days of its first opening.
Cheers!
Thanks Guys for that incredibly fast response!! I hear so much about the health benefits of 3 glasses of wine per week, but since my husband is deployed and I am the only other "of-age" person in my household, I often found myself in the predicament of either drinking more than was necessary, or opening bottles and letting them go to waste…a crime in itself!I am a very satisfied customer and I am greatly impressed with your customer service via Twitter!!Kimberley Roy@KimberShugRN