No-Fuss Guide · No. 8
How long does open wine last? From 1 day to 3 weeks, and the fridge decides
There's wine left in the bottle, and the question came with it. The honest answer: it lasts less than we'd like and longer than we fear, as long as you seal it and chill it. Red included.
The enemy has a name: oxygen
Open wine doesn't “go bad” all of a sudden: it oxidizes. Air reacts with the alcohol and the aromas, the wine loses its fruit, picks up a smell of overripe apple and, over a few days, heads down the road to vinegar. Drinking an oxidized wine does you no harm (it's just bad). Cold and little air are the brakes: that's why the advice holds for every style, seal it and put it in the fridge, red included. When it's time to serve, take it out 20 minutes ahead.
How long, by type
- Sparkling: 1 to 3 days. The bubbles go first; a proper sparkling-wine stopper (the one with the clips) helps;
- White and rosé: 3 to 5 days in the fridge; the more acidic ones (Sauvignon Blanc, Vinho Verde) hold up better;
- Red: 3 to 5 days. The more tannin and acidity, the tougher it is: a Tannat or a Cabernet lasts longer than a light Pinot Noir;
- Fortified wines (Port of the tawny kind, Madeira, oloroso Sherry): weeks; Madeira, months. The extra alcohol is a preservative. Exceptions: Vintage Port and Fino Sherry behave like a red, a few days;
- Boxed wine (bag-in-box): up to a month. The bag collapses and no air gets in: that's the format's advantage, no fuss.
What really helps (and what's a myth)
- Helps: a sealed bottle standing upright (less surface in contact with the air), the fridge, and pouring what's left into a smaller bottle, filled to the top;
- Helps a little: a vacuum pump. It pulls out part of the air and buys you a day or two;
- Myth: the silver spoon in the neck of the sparkling bottle. It does nothing; the stopper with the clips does.
And an unopened bottle, how long does it last?
Most wines are made to be drunk within 2 or 3 years of the vintage; only a minority improves with age (the ones built to age). Store it lying down, in the dark, away from the stove and the heat. A dry cork and a warm wine age badly.