Bottle half empty
Sommelière reveals why you should “wake up” opened wine
What is the best way to store opened wine?
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Once the wine bottle has been opened, it should be emptied quickly, otherwise it will lose its taste. Sommelière Warner Boin gives tips on how to keep wine in opened bottles for as long as possible.
The evening is over and the guests have gone, leaving only an opened bottle of wine – too good to tip away, too much to drink. So without further ado the cork is dug out again. A mistake, says the sommelier Warner Boin, because the wine is not properly protected. She reveals how to do it better.
Once the wine bottle is opened, it fills with oxygen. However, too much oxygen is detrimental to the quality of the wine. Aroma and complexity are usually lost as a result of the oxidation processes. The result: After a few days, the wine tastes stale. Therefore, a wine should not be left open for a long time. But there are a few tricks to extend the shelf life.
Air and wine, let that be
According to Boin in a “Tiktok” video, it is important “to reduce the ratio of oxygen to wine”. The cork is not the best choice. Because corks are porous, they too are permeable to oxygen. Better than corks are special reclosures that are designed to prevent the ingress of air, such as stainless steel cones. Sommelière Boin takes a slightly different approach.
“All you have to do is pour whatever wine you have left over into a mason jar or other airtight container,” she explains. By sealing it with a lid, the wine is more protected and lasts a few days longer.
Store open wine in a cool place
Opened wine should always be kept upright and cool. An open bottle of red wine also belongs in the fridge, because temperatures around 5 degrees Celsius slow down the oxidation process. When the bottle is standing, the surface of the wine that can come into contact with oxygen is the smallest. This also delays the loss of aroma.
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It is not possible to say in general how long an opened wine will keep. The rule of thumb is white wine is the fastest to drink. It usually only lasts between one and five days, rosé between two and six days and red wine up to seven days. Young wine is usually more “robust” and loses flavor less quickly after opening the bottle.