How long can an aged bottle of wine stay in good condition after being opened?
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Dear Dr. Vinny,
How long can an aged bottle of wine stay in good condition once it’s been opened?
—Carly, Fort Worth, Texas
Dear Carly,
You didn’t specify how old your wine is, but I think this is a terrific question. Generally, it’s true that an older, more delicate wine will fade much faster than a younger, more robust wine. In any case, how much mileage you get out of an open bottle of wine will depend on the wine, how you store it after popping the cork and your own personal preferences.
Once a bottle of wine is open, oxygen is both a friend and a foe. It helps a wine open up and makes the flavors and aromas more expressive, but after a while, oxygen does to a wine what it does to, say, a sliced apple, which is the best way I can think to describe oxygenation. The wine won’t turn bad or unhealthy, but it will start to become less fresh and take on nutty notes. Again, depending on your palate, you might not mind or notice these changes—and older wines will typically already have some nutty, earthy notes, which many people consider a desirable characteristic of aged wines.
We do know that younger wines will resist the changes caused by oxygen longer than older wines (bottles upwards of 10 or 15 years). But again, it all depends on the wine, and there are always exceptions. A 10-year-old Barolo will probably not fade as quickly (or heck, even be at the peak of its drinking window!) as a lighter-bodied, more delicate red of that age. That said, while a young wine might last two or three days once it’s been opened, I’d be surprised if an older wine was still singing the next day (though I’ve been pleasantly surprised by this scenario).
My advice for storing an opened bottle, regardless of its age, is the same. You’ll get more mileage out of the wine the more you eliminate its exposure to oxygen after initially enjoying it. That usually means storing any leftover wine (cue the “What is leftover wine?” jokes) in the smallest container it will fit in. If you open a bottle and drink half of it, you might try pouring the remaining wine into an empty half-bottle, which will minimize continued oxygen exposure until you’re ready to drink the rest. It’s worth noting, however, that you’re essentially decanting the wine when you do this, which will introduce some air into the wine. If you decide to decant older wines, it’s best to do so gently, since they’re prone to fading quickly with exposure to air.
I also recommend keeping leftover wine in the fridge (yes, even red wine!) to extend its life, since cool temperatures slow down the oxidation process.
—Dr. Vinny
