Open wine shelf life.
 

Assume a recorked 1/2 bottle of red, at room temp, how long?

Better not risk it. Its safer to just drink the whole bottle. At least thats what I tell the cop.

lol, good luck with that:D

But seriously, about how long.....and if you go to long you risk what? bad taste? Bacteria? What?

Red wine oxidizes very quickly, some overnight, others in just a few days. The only exception is Greek red, which is aged in a particular barrel that seems to help slow oxidation of the wine.

White wines do not seem to have the same issues.

What is the penalty? I'm having a glass of a Pinot I had a few nights ago and it tastes great.

Don't they make a pump that removes the air from the opened bottle, creating a vacuum?

Then there is this little doohicky. I'm starting to hear good things about it:

http://www.dansdata.com/wineclip.htm

Oh just ddrink it in a dauy.

That's what i've just done wth this nice 04 Merlot I opened las tnight.

FYI, I only dcrink the big botttles during the week.

We nee dot discuss how I get som eof that killer Pinot you had the other night.

I'll make it worth your while.

I have one of those vacumn pumps that evacuates the air from the bottle, using a special rubber cork/valve. Then refrigerate the bottle. Works pretty well, an opened bottle seems to be drinkable for a week. It's not exactly at its best after a week - a quite nice tasty red has become an okay table wine - but it is drinkable.

I know someone who uses pressurized nitrogen to do the same thing - replace the air in the bottle with nitrogen. But the vacumn is cheaper.

Re: Open wine shelf life.
 

It depends entirely on the wine.

Rule of thumb: the younger the wine the less likely it is to spoil quickly. That explains why your Pinot Noir still tastes good.

Conversely, do not re-cork a vintage Bordeaux.

fill half empty bottle with clean glass marbles 'til wine level reaches back up to cork.....no extra air in bottle to allow oxidation. voila.

Onlycafe, interesting suggestion... must try that sometime, if I can get marbles to fit down neck of bottle...

Have tried vacuum pumps, seal usually not good enough.

Best preservation method I've found so far is - brace yourself - freeze the leftovers.

Allowed to thaw, there is no degradation in taste that I've been able to detect.

Disclaimer: oxalic acid crystals will precipitate out once thawed... you may want to decant before drinking, or pour carefully once you approach the lees...

http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/fles.gif

If the taste brings no frown,
you must drink it down!

Vacuvin. Buy one. Under $20.

I always have a red 'day' wine (as opposed to a good one) open on the counter - not refridgerated. With just a cork, the taste is very different on day 2 & by day 3 or 4, it's trash. My vacuvin keeps it alive for up to 7 days. The bouquet is gone after the first day but the juice still lives.

Ian

Thanks, that's what I was hoping.

Yep...all pumps are not created equal...this one really creates a vacuum.

http://www.winestuff.com/acatalog/Wine_Saver_Giftpack__1_Pump_Black_2_Stoppers_.html ?gclid=CL3NwoCo-YkCFQ8RgQodnnx1Qg

I've had reds that oxidized so badly that the color changed into a reddish brown, and the taste is awful.

I have several types of wine that are already 3 to 4 years old and expected to improve in the bottle for another 3-4 years, and drinkable for another 10 years. Those are consumed completely without recorking.

I seldom decant wines, but there's no harm in it, and some wine tastes better decanted.

Interesting solution. Instead of doing this EVERY time, however, wouldn't it makes sense to half-fill an empty bottle with marbles and use that for all your future wine-storage needs?

I work in an Italian resturant (the perfect job for putting yourself through grad school), and we often open bottles of wine that we don't use often. Sure, lots of people drink Ruffino Chianti or any number of merlots, but sometimes we must open a bottle of Allegrini, Reserva Ducale, or Syrah and let it sit for over a week. Most of the time, the wine still tastes great. IT seems to be the cheaper wines that go more quickly... of course, we don't have any vintages beyond 2004 in the resturant.

Forget the marbles - get some 1/2 size and 1/4 size bottles!:D

Maybe we should patent these ideas and film an infomercial?

"Tired of this situation? [clip of dinner guests disguested by ruined wine, and hosts humiliated] Bordering on alcoholism because you finish every bottle of wine you open? [clip of young woman passed out on a recliner, empty wine bottle on the floor, as her kids attempt unsuccessfully to wake her] Well, we have the solution!"

Get your federally approved and subsidized clean glass marbles to alleviate this problem. See your county Public Health Clinic now.

Right next to the free condoms.