How to keep your wine fresh once opened

Perhaps it is a sign of waste not, want not times, but people often ask, “How do I keep a half bottle of wine from going bad?”

The answer is easy: Keep leftover wine away from air, but there are many ways to do that, some more effective than others.

To stave off spoilage in a bottle of wine that has been opened, the most important goal is to give it a wide berth from oxygen.

As it oxidizes, wine loses its fruit aromas and flavors, turns darker or browner in hue, and eventually tastes pretty awful. My first taste of kombucha, a fermented, acetic tea, made me think, “Ugh, just like old wine.”

For purposes of illustration, let’s consider a bottle half full. The wine in a half-filled bottle of everyday white wine will taste OK for about four to five days if kept in a refrigerator. Red wines the same, perhaps a bit longer, although they need to be brought close to room temperature before drinking.

Refrigeration slows oxidation, but it does not prevent it. You can chart deterioration in that half bottle of wine from day one and assume that it will not be enjoyable after a week.


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