Ever Wonder? - What is the Best Way to Store an Opened Bottle of Wine?

Last time we looked at a rather unorthodox way of storing an open bottle of wine — in the freezer. And then thawing it in the microwave. Well, that’s not the common advice.

Here’s some of the the more typical ways to store an opened bottle of wine. Even if you follow these steps they will only keep the wine good for a few days.

Re-Seal It

First, you need to re-seal the opened wine bottle either with the cork that you pulled out of the bottle or with a stopper. A stopper is the most convenient way because if you’ve ever tried to put a cork back in the bottle, it can be difficult. Especially if you try to put the same end back in. But don’t be tempted to put the top or ‘clean’ end into the bottle. It may be easier but you really don’t know how ‘clean’ that end was to start with. So, either put the original end or the cork back into the bottle or use another stopper. And, if the bottle was a twist-off, you’ll definitely want a stopper. The best stoppers are those that allow you to pump the air out of the bottle. That will ensure your wine doesn’t have too much exposure to air which leads to the wine going down-hill even more rapidly.

Keep It Cool

Once you’ve resealed the bottle, you’ll want to keep it cool. Don’t leave it out on the counter. Room-temperature and sunlight will quickly degrade the wine. And besides, like any perishable, it needs to be refrigerated after opening. Keeping it cold will slow the process of the wine’s degradation but, again, it’ll only keep for a few days. Then, just remember to take the cold bottle out of the refrigerator well before serving. For white wine, it probably needs to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to be at proper serving temperature. For reds, give them around an hour.

Using these simple steps should ensure that your opened bottle of wine will still be good for a few days after your first open it. As for the freezer and microwave, I’m not yet convinced. Cheers!

Ever Wonder How to Store an Opened Bottle of Wine?

It happens. You open and bottle of wine but don't finish it. Now what?  Well, you a have a couple of options.

First, it's best if you can limit wine's exposure to air.  Exposure to air will tend to take the life out of it. So, it's best to use a device that can remove the air from the bottle and seal it.  There are several such inexpensive devices that will do this.  They consist of bottle stoppers and a vacuum pump.  After placing the rubber stopper in the bottle, you simply hand-pump the bottle to remove the air.  First issue resolved!

The second thing you should do is to keep the wine cool. Any kind of heat of 65 degrees F or higher will also ruin a wine. If it's a white wine, simply put it in the refrigerator.  It will keep nicely for 1-3 days. When you're ready to finish the bottle, just take it out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you intend to drink it.  That way it'll be at the right temperature.  If it's a red wine, you can also put it in the refrigerator or simply store it in a nice cool spot that gets little or no sun exposure.  In the refrigerator, a red is probably only going to hold up well overnight. So, be sure to enjoy the rest of the wine the next day.

Of course, the easiest way to avoid the problem all together is to finish the bottle!  But when that's not an option, simply try to limit the open bottle's exposure to air and keep it cool.  Then finish the bottle soon. Cheers!