How long does red wine keep?!


Question: Last night, I opened a bottle of black muscat. It's 15% red dessert wine. I put it in the fridge after it had been open about three hours, and I plan on getting it back out tonight and having some more. How long can I safely do this before the wine starts to go off?

On a side note, what about white wines?
Thanks!

Answers: Last night, I opened a bottle of black muscat. It's 15% red dessert wine. I put it in the fridge after it had been open about three hours, and I plan on getting it back out tonight and having some more. How long can I safely do this before the wine starts to go off?

On a side note, what about white wines?
Thanks!
What causes wine to "go off" is the interaction betwen the juice and oxygen. The most correct answer would depend upon the age of the wine and how well it was cellared. Very old wine will degrade much more quickly (sometimes almost instantaneously) than younger wine. With an average bottle of wine you should have no problem repeating your "cork and chill" approach for a couple of nights. Pour what you need then put the rest back in a cool dark place. Fridge is a little cold, but since you'll only warm up one portion at a time, you should be OK. You'll probably recognize when the end is near...take the opportunity to treat yourself to an extra helping!

Much of the same is true for white wines, but since they are *generally* younger, you'l often get an extra day out of them.

Factors that can help?

Some vintners bottle their juice in a nitrogen rich environment which can help to stabilize the wine while it is in the bottle and give an extra day or two after opening.

There are a few gizmos you can buy to lengthen the life of your wine. One is a vacuum pump that removes the air from the bottle for storage. No air=no degradation (of course you can't remove ALL the oxygen from the bottle, so it isn't a permanent fix. Another would be a can of nitrogen (or other inert gas) with a long straw...you spray it into the bottle, it displaces the oxygen and keeps the oxidation process from proceeding.

Cheers!
Refrigeration can help a little (like it does with milk). If you drink wine that is too old or has gone off, you shouldn't get sick. You probably wouldn't enjoy drinking wine that is old enough to make you sick. Just remember that wine turns to vinegar. Report It

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  • orf1943's Avatar by orf1943
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    • In my house, a good bottle of red wine keeps about 2 hours.
    If you want to make it last long, keep refrigerating it. But refrigeration ruins taste, espeicially in red wine, so don't do it with dessert wines! Just get rubber corks, a Vacu-Vin (if you really wanna keep it nice) and keep it out of the light, and it should last you 4, maybe 5 days. White whines fair better in fridge, and last longer (especially chilled, but some taste is taken). Seriously though, don't refrigerate those red dessert wines if you think you can finish it in four to five days. I'd really get a vacu-vin, things last longer. Without one, things may last less than 4 to 5 days. And start rubber-corking after each pour. Well if it's spoiled it'll look different when you poor it, just take the tiniest sip to be sure.


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