Question for Red Wine lovers

[paulF]

Do you guys ever enjoy leftover red wine ? And by reds i mean varietals like cab sauv, Shiraz, Hermitage,Merlot...

Say for whatever reasons and god forbids you had some wine left in the bottle and kept it in the fridge for next few days consumption, do you ever enjoy the wine?

Cheers

[Colt45]

......do you ever enjoy the wine?

Short answer, yes. But it's a rare, very rare occasion

[Fuzz AI]

I have kept open bottles of red over two or three days. I use one of those wine saver air extraction thingymabobs instead of re-using the cork. Sometimes the next day the wine tastes better than it did the night before. Other times the wine just fades slowly. Have never kept a bottle open for longer than 4 days.

[potpest]

Sometimes have a bottle midweek which i'll spread out over 3/4 days, it's usually better the next day but then starts to go downhill, still enjoyable though.

I use one of the vacuum savers aswell, have found putting it in the fridge usually kills it off

[Fuzz AI]

Yes, putting it in the fridge kills it for me too. I just put the bottle in the cupboard where it is cool, dark and away from any strong odours.

[Profmd]

Yes, putting it in the fridge kills it for me too. I just put the bottle in the cupboard where it is cool, dark and away from any strong odours.

Agree also. Keep away from fridge and usually ok for a few days.

[Cisco]

I always put the left-over wine in the fridge or freezer. I love wine and usually drink a bottle over 3-4 days. Cooler temperatures extends the life of the wine. When I open a new bottle I immediately pour half into a 375ml with a screw-cap. I then put this in the fridge. It will last more than a week this way and will improve if the wine is young. Sure, most wines are not as good as the day they were opened, but they are not terrible either and some do improve with time in the fridge.

If I know I won't be drinking the wine for a more than two days, I freeze the wine (usually in its original bottle). Frozen, a wine will keep for months. This wine can be thawed without any noticible loss in flavours. I also do this with the dregs of wine to be used for cooking.

[srbbones]

Sometimes improves after 1 day, maybe 2-3 with a vacume winesaver. Longer than that usually bad news

[Cohiba Stevie]

Ok... Ok....

You guys have me intrigued with these vacum wine savers.

If I use one with a bottle of red, say a fleurie or Malbec, how long can I keep it realistically?

What's the rules for whites as well?

Thanks for any help.

[Surucipe]

Sure do! As mentioned by others sometimes the wine even tastes better the next day, sometimes not. I find that if you don't go over 3-4 days it usually doesn't deteriorate much. Sometimes I use one of these vacuum cork/pumps, but mostly I just pop the cork back in. Works fine usually.

[Fuzz AI]

Ok... Ok....

You guys have me intrigued with these vacum wine savers.

If I use one with a bottle of red, say a fleurie or Malbec, how long can I keep it realistically?

What's the rules for whites as well?

Thanks for any help.

The vacuum wine savers will only delay the inevitable. Some say that they affect the wine by removing the light volatile aromas from the wine. The more wine in the bottle, the better they work as there is less air to remove, but there is still air in the bottle.

Argon or nitrogen pump systems are better as they pump inert heavier than oxygen gas into the bottle. They can supposedly keep the bottle indefinitely, but I find that hard to believe. Plus they cost a lot ($1000+).

Personally, I wouldn't keep an open bottle longer than 1 week (3 days for whites)... if they ever had a chance to last that long!

[paulF]

Thanks for all the replies guys,

I also recall that the older the bottle, the worst it deteriorated once put back in the fridge which gave me a very good reason to drink aged bottles to the last sip in one sitting

Cheers

[str8dog]

The argument against vacuum sealers is that the negative pressure inside the bottle encourages volatiles to escape from the wine so while protecting from oxygen they can inherently diminish flavours.

In the rare instance that a bottle isn't finished in our house, We've been re-corking using Private Preserve. It's a spray can containing CO2, Nitrogen and Argon, that displaces the atmospheric air that contains highly reactive oxygen, thus preserving the wine in a neutral pressure state. We've been pretty satisfied with it.

http://www.privatepreserve.com/index.htm

[sengjc]

Try one of those inert gas pumps.

EDIT: Whoops, didn't see the post before.

[Ken Gargett]

id suggest that older reds will be far less likely to last than younger, more robust ones.

agree with fuzz that sometimes the wine is better next day.

don't agree re the fridge. and these days, with screwcaps, i have no issue with keeping wines in the fridge 2-3 days. by three days, probably getting iffy.

all those gimmicky things re pumps and sprays etc, probably are okay. i've tested plenty. some probably work a little better than others.

but there is a simpler way to help keep your wines fresh after opening. keep an empty half bottle, well cleaned of course, nearby (screwcap preferably), and fill it with the leftovers. the best ideas is half and half so the half bottle is full. no oxygen gets in.

but the cooler you keep it the better. don't understand not using the fridge - unless you live in alaska or somewhere similar.

[Ken Gargett]

and on that note, i'm off to the fridge to get that bottle of pol 2004 opened yesterday, but very well sealed. fabulous fizz.

[Orion21]

I find white wine survives for up to 3-4 days in the fridge just fine, but I have never tried it with red because why chill it?

With red wine I find that wines built to age are good for up to 3 days if you re-cork the bottle. If you leave it open not so much. I have also had the same experience as Ken where some of my really amazing bottles of Cabernet are better the second day. Harlan Estates actually tells its clients (and reviewers) to decant their wine, if young, for 24 hours before drinking.

[dangolf18]

With young tannic wines, they are usually a lot better the day after. With anything older than 15 years (usually drunk on a special occasion), it's usually consumed within 2-3 hours (because older wines are damn delicious and they often fade after a couple hours).

[Puros Y Vino]

Yes. It lasts at room temp for at least two days. We usually never let it get that far. I think the fridge kills it too. If I dont like how it tastes, I use it to cook. Better than tossing it. I'll use it in a tomato sauce for instance.

[Ken Gargett]

I find white wine survives for up to 3-4 days in the fridge just fine, but I have never tried it with red because why chill it?

in qld, we have temps regularly over 30C day after day. so makes sense to fridge it. leaving it out would shorten the life massively. and if the 'chill' is a problem, 20-30 minutes out of the fridge and it is perfect.

[potpest]

in qld, we have temps regularly over 30C day after day. so makes sense to fridge it. leaving it out would shorten the life massively. and if the 'chill' is a problem, 20-30 minutes out of the fridge and it is perfect.

In this case I would definitely use the fridge. I store open whites in the fridge, but it's rare if my house ever gets above 18-20 even in the summer, so reds are fine left out.

Good idea on the half bottle, makes a lot of sense.

[Orion21]

in qld, we have temps regularly over 30C day after day. so makes sense to fridge it. leaving it out would shorten the life massively. and if the 'chill' is a problem, 20-30 minutes out of the fridge and it is perfect.

That's why I invested in a very large climate controlled wine cabinet

I live in Arizona and if I didn't use AC for 6-8 months of the year my wine would be cooked in no time. I keep my wine at 62F. It's kind of like managing a humidor because of the humidity needed to keep the corks from drying out.

[Wil]

I always keep a dessert wine bottle on hand (half bottle). If I know I'm not going to finish a bottle I'll pour half straight into the half bottle, screw the cap and pop it in the fridge. Works a treat.

[Ken Gargett]

That's why I invested in a very large climate controlled wine cabinet

I live in Arizona and if I didn't use AC for 6-8 months of the year my wine would be cooked in no time. I keep my wine at 62F. It's kind of like managing a humidor because of the humidity needed to keep the corks from drying out.

i'm curious that you only use it for 6-8 months. surely that means your wine is at the mercy of the elements for the other 4-6 months? i'm assuming that is 'winter' and much cooler but you'll still be getting variation throughout the day.

my understanding is that variation is even worse for wine than constant higher temperatures. so you'd be better having the wine at your set 62F (about 16C, i think - i'd want it a degree or two lower but no matter, especially if not for the very long term) all year than 62 for 6 months and then moving around - i presume your temp would vary at least 10-15 degrees per day - even if lower than 62?

[Fuzz AI]

Agree with Ken. Fluctuating temps are worse than constant high temps, especially for wines with cork closure.