Storing an Open Bottle of Wine
So you have an open bottle of wine that you have not finished with your evening meal and you want to save it to drink later. What to do? You have always heard that air is an enemy to wine and with the bottle opened it has surely been exposed to air...
Not to fret. With the cork back in the bottle wine may be stored for several days (3 to 5) in the refrigerator without losing its flavor. You should even store a a re-corked bottle of red wine in the refrigerator - just remember to take it out to let it warm prior to drinking. White wine stored in the refrigerator should also be allowed to warm a bit as refrigerator temperature is too cold for white wine (see: Wine Serving Temperature).
Creating a Vacuum to Preserve the Wine
There are many simple devices on the market that allow you to stopper the wine and extract the air from the bottle creating a vacuum seal. The seal created is not prefect but probably better than the cork alone. The wine should still be stored in the refrigerator to also inhibit the aging process with cold temperatures. Using such a technique can allow a wine to last in the refrigerator for a week or more with little to no detrimental effects.
It should be noted that some report mixed results in creating a "good enough" vacuum, while others think that the process of removing the airs subtly changes the wine. But there are just as many (if not more) people who report very acceptable results using this method of storing an open bottle of wine.
Using an Inert Gas
You can also an inert gas such as nitrogen to remove the air from a bottle before putting in a stopper. This solution can come in one of two forms:
- A simple wine preservation spray for removing air from the open wine.
- A preservation/serving solution where a serving spigot that is connected to a bottle of nitrogen is inserted into the neck of the wine bottle. This solution provides both a means to preserve the wine, and a convenient way to serve wine by the glass.
What to Do With Champagne or Sparkling Wine
Sparkling wines such as Champagne come with built in protection - the carbon dioxide given off by the bubbles in the wine. All that needs to be done to store open Champagne is to re cork it and put it in the refrigerator. There are special Champagne stoppers that clamp down over the top of the bottle so that the pressure does not push the cork back out.
Give Box Wines a Try
If you frequently have the issue of needing to store a partially finished bottle of wine then you may wish to consider some of the nicer vintage dated box wines as an alternative for that glass or two of wine with a meal. Box wines have the preservation build in - an airtight collapsible plastic bag within the box that contains the wine.
For more on box wines see:
