mrt Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Do I have to finish the bottle when I open a bottle of wine? Just becouse of this, I usually feel reluctant to open bottles! If it's possible, how and how long can an open bottle of wine be stored? I have a plastic bottle cap to replace the cork, and it is said to have a vacuum function via a simple pump mechanism, but I'm not sure about whether it works or not. Besides, I do not fully trust myself for wine tasting yet...Any help appreciated... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILLfarmboy Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 I'm sort of in the same boat as you. I prefer reds and Janean prefers whites. neither one of us likes to finish a bottle just so it won't go to waste. We have used the vacu-vin gadget with mixed results. It's no magic bullet. In my opinion it is better than just re-corking the bottle but the wine should still be consumed within one or two days. I wish half-bottles were more popular/available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 It depends a lot on the wine, the environment, and your personal sensitivity to the changes that may occur. I'm in the same boat, in that I normally consume a bottle in two or three sittings. I save old corks from whiskey bottles because they have the plastic caps on them and I use those, no fancy vacuums. A red usually is fine on the counter for three or four days. Whites and some reds go into the fridge and last even longer. This is a good example, though, of your mileage may vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomH Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 I've got the same problem since Barb drinks whites but I like reds. The Vac-u-vin and the refigerator keep the whites fine for her (not to pick on my lovely wife, but I don't think she would notice if the wine was badly oxidated anyway). Having not been satisfied with it for my reds, I've used the winekeeper to keep wine successfully for a week. While it's a little pricey, I think it pays for itself by eliminating ruined wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILLfarmboy Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 I've got the same problem since Barb drinks whites but I like reds. The Vac-u-vin and the refigerator keep the whites fine for her (not to pick on my lovely wife, but I don't think she would notice if the wine was badly oxidated anyway). Having not been satisfied with it for my reds, I've used the winekeeper to keep wine successfully for a week. While it's a little pricey, I think it pays for itself by eliminating ruined wine.Same deal here. I'm pretty sensitive to oxidation. The wife will drink slightly vinegary wine. Ick This "winekeeper", is it one of those inert gas things? Believe it or not I've actually thought of using argon wich is used as a shielding gas in MIG welding as a way to preserve wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomH Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 The Winekeeper uses nitrogen, but there are similar products that use argon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinson Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 One almost fail-proof way to save wine is to buy a cheap half-bottle of wine, drink it, then save and clean out the bottle. Then when you know your not going to finish a bottle pour half of the one you are about to drink in the half-bottle. Fill it all the way to the top and cork it. Air is what kills wine, so by default, no air no bad wine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNbourbon Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 · Hidden Hidden One almost fail-proof way to save wine is to buy a cheap half-bottle of wine, drink it, then save and clean out the bottle. Then when you know your not going to finish a bottle pour half of the one you are about to drink in the half-bottle. Fill it all the way to the top and cork it. Air is what kills wine, so by default, no air no bad wineGood advise. Link to comment
mythrenegade Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 Great suggestion, I'll have to try it. As for the vacuum pumps, the wine is never as good as it is when you first open it. But it can extend the drinkability of the wine. We use one, but rarely for more than a day or two. Generally within a week it is horrible.joel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nor02lei Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 One almost fail-proof way to save wine is to buy a cheap half-bottle of wine, drink it, then save and clean out the bottle. Then when you know your not going to finish a bottle pour half of the one you are about to drink in the half-bottle. Fill it all the way to the top and cork it. Air is what kills wine, so by default, no air no bad wineI use that trick too and it seems to me that one week is no problem with this method.Leif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 Leslie and I definitely don't have this problem Which is a good thing, because we are both sensitive to the changes in wine after one evening. I don't want to sound like a snob, but I just won't drink it the next day; I'd rather have a fresh beer. I'll usually cook something the next evening and use any leftover wine for the recipe. We do keep a box of white wine in the fridge for times when we only want a glass. Boxed whites are getting better. Boxed reds... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillman Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 I find reds can sometimes be kept a couple of days on the counter. Some are so "big" in extract and alcohol this seems not to hurt them too much. As for whites or Champagne, I find most keep well for a few days re-corked (i.e., in the fridge). I think the fact that many wines - even some better grades - are pasteurised today assists preservation in this way. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 I find reds can sometimes be kept a couple of days on the counter. Some are so "big" in extract and alcohol this seems not to hurt them too much. As for whites or Champagne, I find most keep well for a few days re-corked (i.e., in the fridge). I think the fact that many wines - even some better grades - are pasteurised today assists preservation in this way. GaryChampagne is one exception I forgot to mention. You can leave a bottle uncorked in the fridge overnight with little loss of carbonation or oxidation due to the layer of CO2 that is naturally present in the bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillman Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 Yes I agree but usually a cork can be found to close it (Champagne) and then it keeps even better.But take say a sturdy Chard with lots of butter and wood, factoring in that these are usually around 14% abv today.I pop the cork back in and then in to the fridge, I find a day or two (up to say a week) usuallly does no harm.Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mier Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Red wine is still okay after 2 or 3 days,in a fridge sometimes longer.White is kept good in a fridge up to 5 days or so,it all depend on the quality.If you have some wine leftover you can marinate beef in it and if its turned sour make a real winevinegar out of it!Eric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrt Posted September 9, 2007 Author Share Posted September 9, 2007 I opened a 75 cl. bottle (red) last Wednesday and drank half of it. I stored the rest in the refrigerator till Friday evening. I used the original cork since it wasn't damaged while opening. Friday evening, the wine was still good and I finished it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepcycle Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 A neat trick for Champagne storage is put an uninflated balloon over the top. It will fill slightly from released CO2 and stay that way for up to three days. I learned this on a cruise ship, where the main salon has 20 or thirty partially consumed bottles at a time. The sommelier clued me in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepcycle Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 http://www.hdlenhancement.com/Main/WinePreservationTest.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbyvirus Posted September 12, 2007 Share Posted September 12, 2007 We use one of those vacuum-pump stoppers when we open a bottle of red but don't finish it, and I think it works quite well. Red wine that would normally last only a day or two while just corked can go for 4-5 days with the vacuum stopper. We bought a cheap one, and it works fine, so I'd recommend trying it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrt Posted December 2, 2007 Author Share Posted December 2, 2007 My last trial: I opened a bottle of Red Wine (Chile) and stored the half-full bottle with a vacuum pump stopper on top. Well, after quite a long time-ten days- it was still drinkable for me. Maybe the vacuum stopper is great, maybe I can not differentiate between wine and vinegar Anyway, it doesn't work for months, which I know from my first experiment that resulted in a red vinegar. But "ten days" is an encouraging score... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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