Wine is a divine fluid quite beyond ordinary understanding. As a fifth generation winemaker, I believe it takes a sense of intellectual curiosity to even begin. For folk whose profession is not growing grapes and making wine, it is even harder to fully understand this complex substance. As a result, I'm constantly asked questions such as, "How long can a wine last after opening?"
Gosh! Is this a question that really taxes your mind?
I admit to having no difficulty whatsoever with this question. In my household, the empty bottle is tossed out shortly after opening!
But if you are more disciplined than us in your wine consumption, you need to know that wine starts changing upon contact with oxygen. If you are not intending to finish the bottle in one sitting, you should replace the cap or cork. Another tip is to store the bottle in the fridge. This slows the oxidization process, but it is not ideal for red wine unless you warm it up again.
Some wine tastes better a day or two after opening, particularly young red wines, full in body. Unfortunately not all wine is so lucky. The fruit structure breaks down in some and the taste goes a bit flat. Most white wines and all aged wines fall into this category.
If you are looking for a cast iron rule, I can't give you one but as a rough rule of thumb, I suggest you drink it in a matter of days. You might even get a week out of it before it goes off but it really depends on the wine, with some retaining their structure much better than others.
Have a wee sip each non-drinking day to check how it's holding up. And when you do detect it's beginning to lose its oomph, enjoy the rest of the bottle that evening! I liken it to a half eaten apple - the longer it sits around, the browner it goes. Browning is the visible evidence of oxidation.
I found some research on those vacuum pump gadgets that are made for preserving opened bottles of wine. If you've ever considered one, I'm afraid the news is not good. It seems that rather than preserving the wine, they hasten its demise because they suck a lot of the aromatics out of the wine. Sacre bleu!
At our vineyard and Auckland wedding venue, we cover all opened bottles of wine at day's end with a blanket of argon, a very heavy inert gas. This is great for a commercial operation like our Auckland winery & wedding location, but not realistic for homeowners.
But why are you even reading this? You can solve the problem completely by consuming the full bottle and keeping winemakers off the unemployment line!
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