For wine lovers, the pleasure of enjoying a bottle of one of your favorite wines is unmatched. Yet, this joy doesn’t necessarily imply that you’ll consume the entire bottle in one go. When you find yourself with leftover wine, either red or white, you’re faced with a crucial question: how can you maintain its quality until you’re ready for the next glass? In this article, we delve into eight effective methods for storing open wine bottles, ensuring that each subsequent sip remains as delightful as the first.
What Causes Wine to Age?
The primary culprit for aging wine is oxygen. Once a bottle is opened, oxygen interacts with the wine and starts the oxidation process, which over time can spoil it. Other factors, like heat and light, also play a role. Knowing what causes wine to age helps us better understand how to store it properly.
Where is the Best Place to Store an Open Wine Bottle?
The optimum location for storing an open bottle of wine is a cool dark place and stable environment. A wine fridge set to 55°F for opened red wine and 45°F for opened white wine is ideal. If that’s not an option, your regular refrigerator will suffice, but because most refrigerators are set to 35°-45°F, it may be colder than optimal.
You don’t need to store unopened wine in a fridge, although you certainly can. A dark cabinet away from sunlight and heat or a wine rack in a basement at or slightly below room temperature are both viable options for unopened wine preservation.
8 Ways to Store Wine That Will Preserve Their Life
1. Re-Cork It
If you’re without some of the other tools we mention here, re-corking the bottle is effective for short-term storage. To ensure a tight fit, place the original cork with the stained end first, as it has already adapted to the bottle’s shape. Re-using a cork will still allow a small amount of oxygen in, so plan to drink red wine within 24-48 hours and a white wine within 1 week if using this method.
2. Use a Wine Stopper
Wine stoppers come in various designs and materials, such as rubber, silicone, or stainless steel. Some even have levers or buttons to ensure a tight seal. Using a wine stopper can help keep your wine fresh for up to a week, making it ideal for more extended storage.
3. Vacuum and Seal
Vacuum sealers are devices that powerfully remove air from the bottle before sealing it with a stopper. By minimizing the amount of oxygen that comes into contact with the wine, these sealers can extend the life of your wine.
4. Store Upright
Always store your opened bottles upright. Doing so minimizes the surface area exposed to oxygen, thus slowing down the oxidation process. This is particularly important for sparkling wines, where the cork/stopper should be tightly sealed to maintain carbonation.
5. Use Wine Preserver Sprays
Wine preserver sprays contain inert gases that are heavier than air. When sprayed into the bottle, they form a protective layer over the surface of the wine and shield it from oxidation. We recommend using these sprays in conjunction with other wine preservation tools.
6. Transfer to a Smaller Bottle
If you have consumed more than half the bottle, pouring the remaining wine into a smaller bottle is a great way to preserve it. A smaller bottle has less air space, reducing the wine’s exposure to oxygen. Of course, make sure to seal the smaller bottle tightly with a cork or stopper.
7. Use a Carafe with a Lid
Carafes designed for wine storage often come with airtight lids. Using a carafe allows for easier pouring while also providing an effective seal against air. Fill the carafe to the top to minimize the wine’s exposure to oxygen.
8. Use a Coravin
A Coravin is a device that allows you to pour wine without removing the cork, thus minimizing oxygen exposure. It uses a thin, hollow needle to pierce the cork, then pressurizes the bottle with argon gas to pour the wine.
Once you’re done pouring, the needle is removed, and the cork naturally reseals itself. This method is excellent for those who want to enjoy a glass of fine wine over an extended period.
Storing an open bottle of wine can be a daunting task, especially if you want to preserve its flavor and aroma for future enjoyment. These methods can significantly extend the life of your open wine bottles, so go ahead and pick up a stopper or vacuum and enjoy that bottle of wine you’ve been saving!
