Have you spent an evening in good company with your friends, chatting and enjoying a good meal accompanied by a bottle of wine? Probably yes!
But there it is still on the shelf, the open bottle of wine reminding you of the beautiful evening spent with your guests. That is the question: How to store open wine? Here are a few easy-to-remember hacks for storing open wine properly.
Here are a few tips to remember
Perhaps not everyone knows this, but the moment a bottle of wine is opened, the process of oxidation and deterioration of the wine is triggered, which, alas, is impossible to stop. However, don’t worry about this because a few easy tips can slow this process down if considered.
However, for several reasons, not all bottles oxidise at the same rate. First, it depends on the quality. It has been established that high-quality wines such as Barolo, Montepulciano, Brunello etc., last longer than medium-low-quality wines.
In addition, more sugary and alcoholic wines also last longer, such as the ‘passito’ and sweet wines, while table wines are likely to deteriorate more quickly.
In any case, consider that a bottle of wine can remain open for three days.
The oxidation process
A bottled and corked wine retains its properties, flavours and organoleptic characteristics due to the absence of contact with oxygen. On the other hand, once the bottle is uncorked, the oxygen will gradually help the wine release its flavours and odours properly, making it perfect on the palate.
If the wine is in contact with air, the oxidation process does not stop, so it will slowly begin to lose flavour.
Here’s how to store wine properly
As mentioned above, an opened bottle of wine can remain in this state for up to three days. After this, the flavour will fade. During this time, however, it is possible to preserve the properties and organoleptic characteristics through a tool that can nowadays be found in almost every household goods shop.
This tool sucks the air out of the bottle, seals it and prevents the wine from coming into contact with the air. As a result, this instrument slows down the oxidation process as well as the acetification process.
If you do not have this tool, you can opt for a metal or cork stopper; plastic ones should be avoided as they would flatten the flavour. Likewise, metal spoons to put inside the bottle are also not recommended.
Another piece of advice
In addition to what is described above, here is another tasty little suggestion: why not use the wine left over in the kitchen? Again, cooking could be a good solution because many dishes can be made where wine becomes the main protagonist.
Moreover, the bottle should be stored in the fridge to ensure proper storage of the wine, especially if it is white wine and the outside temperature is warm.
Visit our store!
If you need any tool to store open wine, visit the xtraWine store. Visit the dedicated section and find all the tools to keep your wine in good condition and become a true wine expert!
