When you open a bottle of wine with friends and family, then the contents are quickly gone. But what if you open the bottle on your own and you can’t finish it?
White wine only keeps for maximum a week, and if you leave it too long, then it can turn into a foul tasting vinegar.
Ideally, you don’t want this to happen, so we take a closer look at how long you can keep an open bottle of white wine and how to store it properly, so it lasts as long as possible.
How Long Does White Wine Last?
Opened white wine lasts between 3 to 7 days when they are stored with the cork on top and inside the fridge.
This can vary depending on the wine. Full-bodied white wines, for example Chardonnay, contain fewer acids.
This means that they can go bad much quicker than lighter white wines.
For example, rosé wine or lighter white wines can last up to 7 days when they are recorked and kept in the fridge.
Saying this, it’s important to remember that the flavor of white wine as well as red wine changes after a few days.
Some people believe that the flavor is improving, while others say that only a newly opened wine tastes its best.
Why Does Wine Spoil?
The best way to understand why your white wine is only good for up to seven days is by looking at the reasons why wine spoils.
Packaging
Any type of food and drink that is exposed to the air quickly starts to break down and spoil. That’s why, the majority of foods come in packaging that is tightly sealed, so it lasts for longer.
Some foods, that wouldn’t last for days when exposed to oxygen, can last for weeks when kept in plastic packaging.
Tins and metal cans are even better because they can keep for years.
Light
Another factor that plays a big role in the natural decay of food and drink is light. Sunlight that shines on drinks bottles or food creates heat inside.
This heat speeds up the decaying process, which means when you leave your food and beverages in the sun, they will go bad much quicker.
Wine is particularly sensitive to the UV rays of the sun. This can age wine and it degrades it over time when kept in the light for too long.
This is the reason why many red wine bottles are a dark color. The dark tint of the bottle glass helps to protect the wine against the sunlight.
However, when you pull out the cork of the wine bottle or you unscrew the screwcap, the contents of the wine get exposed to the air.
The oxygen in the air is what turns your white and red wine into vinegar spoiling the wine.
The best way to delay the oxidation process is by returning the screwcap or cork to the top of the wine bottle after you finished drinking the wine.
How To Store Opened White Wine
Red wine as well as white wine can spoil after a few days, and this applies to conventional wines as much as to organic wines.
Here are our top tips how you can store your opened wine bottle to make sure the wine doesn’t get spoiled too quickly.
Re-cork Your Wine After Each Glass
This might seem a lot of effort at first but adding the cork back to your wine bottle each time you poured a glass of wine from it is one of the best ways to limit the amount of air inside the bottle.
You should also do this once you finished drinking. Just recork the bottle tightly.
Store Your Wine In The Right Place
Light and white wines should go into the fridge, whereas fortified wines and red wines should be stored in a cool, dark place.
For all wines, it is important that you limit heat and light exposure to the wine as much as possible.
The sunlight and its produced heat can degrade any type of wine.
Keep The Temperature Steady
Any temperature changes through sun or heat exposure is bad for wine and it can cause the wine to degrade.
That’s why, when you place your white wine into the refrigerator, make sure that the fridge isn’t too cold.
You should never store your wine in the freezer, not even to speed-chill the wine. This can ruin the wine flavor.
Limit Vibration
Vibration inside the wine bottle moves the wine sediment around. This can give the wine a gritty taste and texture.
Make sure that when you store your white wine, it is not moved too often.
Store Your Wine Bottles Upright
It’s essential that you do not store your wine on its side but upright. Storing wine upright means that less of the oxygen inside the bottle will get in contact with the wine.
This means that your wine spoils less quickly.
Get A Wine Preserver Or Wine System
If you really enjoy your wine, then it might be worth buying a good wine preserver. There are a few different types of wine preservers.
One type of wine preserver removes all the air from the bottle. This reduces oxygenation and it will extend the life of the wine inside the bottle.
Another kind of wine preserver uses a type of gas that you add to the bottle before you seal it.
This gas is heavier than air, so the gas sits on the surface of the wine preventing oxygen from spoiling the wine bottle contents.
Another way to keep wine good for long is with a wine system. A wine system extracts the wine through the cork without opening the bottle.
It then adds in some argon gas to replace the air. This type of system means that you can have a glass of wine at a time for months and even years.
Wine systems are particularly good for expensive wines.
Conclusion
White wine can last only 7 days if you store the bottle re-corked inside the fridge.
Hi, I’m Rachel Edwards and I enjoy a glass of wine as much as the rest of them. Well, maybe slightly more.
My parents own a vineyard in Napa Valley and were constantly making new wines for the locals to try. Their brand was one of the most popular across the US at one point. My sister and I loved running up and down the vines, picking the grapes for our parents, and even helping with the ideas.
Since moving out of the family home, my love for wine has not waivered - in fact, I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur. I’m always the one to bring the wine to our girly gatherings, family meals, and picnics - let me know what we’re doing, and I’ll supply the goods.
