How Long can I Keep Wine After Opening?
- Fresh Life
- 08/17/15
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That cork on your unopened wine may keep the contents of the bottle fresh for months, but your beverage could go bad in just a day or two after opening.
It's a problem every accomplished sommelier has faced at one time or another. After savoring a particularly good vintage, you reapply the cork and save it for another day, but when you go back for that second glass, the drink has turned sour and lost its luster.
So what's going on here?
Air Destroys Great Wines
The short answer is air is the most common culprit for ruining once-delicious bottles of wine. Once the initial seal of the bottle is broken, air immediately begins reacting with the liquid in what's called the oxidation process. This is the same chemical reaction that causes guacamole to turn brown just hours after it's made. When it comes to oxidation, the process turns wines - both reds and whites - sour.
If it's a bottle of red that's left outside of the refrigerator, the flavor will often be compromised in just a day. Still, chilled reds and whites will only last two or three days before a noticeable change in taste occurs. So what's a wine aficionado to do, short of opening and finishing a bottle of wine within the same sitting?
Vacuum Seal Your Opened Wine Bottles
The answer is simple. If air is the main problem separating you from enjoying that glass, you'll have to get it out of the bottle and keep it out.
That's where the The FoodSaver® 2-In-1 Vacuum Sealing System and FoodSaver® Bottle Stoppers come into play. Your vacuum sealer and the bottle stopper accessories work in tandem to suck all of the air out of your wine bottle and keep it out. Instead of watching the clock while your good wine turns bad, those bottles will stay fresh for longer. Now, you're free to pick and choose which bottle you'd like to open without worrying about it turning sour in the blink of an eye.
Beware the Other Wine Enemies
However, air isn't necessarily the only enemy of your wine. The temperature those bottles are stored at can either speed up or slow down the oxidation process. For the best results, chill your wines to help keep them fresh.
Also, light can change your vintage's flavor over time. Don't leave a high quality bottle out and exposed to the sun. Somewhere dark and cool is best. After all, wine cellars were made for a reason.
