Should you refrigerate an opened bottle of red wine?
Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at
3:19 am
SammyBoo asked:
I opened a bottle of pinot noir but did not drink it all. Since you’re not supposed to serve red wine chilled, should I just cork the bottle and not refrigerate it? How long will it be good for?
I opened a bottle of pinot noir but did not drink it all. Since you’re not supposed to serve red wine chilled, should I just cork the bottle and not refrigerate it? How long will it be good for?
Filed under: Wine
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I say definitely do not chill it. How long it will stay good partially depends on how air-tight the seal is when you recork it.
Also, keep it in a cool, dark place like a cabinet instead of on a countertop by a window.
If it has a cork, keep the bottle inclined, to keep the cork wet. this keeps it swollen enough to almost keep all oxidation from happening.
Drink it with friends. Wine should be shared!
Hey Now…
Yes just cork it and put it in a cool area…
It will be good for at least a week before it starts to loose
its taste.
I usually use the left over wine for cooking the next day…
Reds are good for cooking beef…
FYI…
Red wines should be chilled about 30-45 minutes in the refrigerator before serving, to about 62-65°F. You have probably heard that red wines should be served at room temperature, and you are right. However, the term “room temperature” refers to rooms in Europe way back when, and they were around 60°F, not the 72-75° we find in modern-day America. The slightly colder temperature slows the evaporation of alcohol, thus improving the aroma and flavor, and making the wine smoother. Don’t over chill; this makes the tannins in the wine taste rough and bitter.
Some reds are actually served chilled, sweet red wines like Pomegranate and Cranberry flavored reds and
Beaujolais, especially for summer drinking.
My Grandma used to chill her Chainti before serving it..
Smiles
Smiles
Recork it, keep it at room temperature and drink it within 2 days.
Saving
1. Wine is like a flower; it is alive and it will die. After 2 days, some/partial flavors will diminish and deteriorate
2. It is best to pour any left over into a smaller airtight bottle.
3. Opened white wine can benefit from staying in the cooler refrigerator.
4. Opened red wine can benefit from cooler storage and lack of light.
5. Pumps suck oxygen out of the bottle. This helps a little, but 2 days of drinking is still all you are going to get out of the bottle. The same is true for “Cans of Gas” available at retail wine shops everywhere.
6. Old wine will not hurt you; it just doesn’t hold its freshness.
7. Don’t be afraid to save your old wine for cooking; it can be used for weeks.
8. Champagne needs a special press capsule or, believe it or not, a silver demitasse spoon in the top of the bottle.
9. Some wines, namely less expensive table wine, will not make it to day two.
10. Hint: Sometimes at home, I break every rule in the book and I play wine-blender. I marry a couple open bottles together to fill up one bottle (if possible, I’m pouring together the same types of wine). It’s a fun way to help get your money’s worth from good wine. The wine ages slower, giving you a couple days to enjoy a better glass of wine. Just remember to fill the bottles all the way to the cork, and remember not to take your new blend too seriously.
I could repeat the millions of things that have been said already about storage of opened wine, but that would just be redundant. Here’s what they missed:
Although wine should never be expected to have the same flavor as it did before being recorked, you need to look at the varietal your are drinking. For instance, if you were speaking of a chianti or zinfandel, you would be losing alot of that dry, oaky flavor that makes it that type of wine.
In your case, you have a pinot noir, the lightest of the red wine varietals. You have an aromatic, fruity wine that will begin to lose it’s sweetness. My suggestion to you is if you absolutly cannot finish a bottle of wine in one sitting (not by yourself, just if you have leftover), the best thing to do is bite the bullet and use it for a spicy arriabita tomato sauce or beef stew the next night.
Wine is a living organism and the minute you opened the bottle its composition started changing. Refrigerating it will kill it. If you don’t drink the bottle just cork it and if you don’t drink it in the next couple of days, you can always cook with it.
It is fine to refrigerate red wine – you just want to bring the temperature up when you serve it. It is also fine to leave it out unless the room is really hot.
Sometimes we drink red wine chilled a little bit. It depends on the wine and the temperature outside. Reds do better around 55 degrees.
French people leave bottles of wine out without the cork and let them air. Most people decant red wine before drinking anyway. It all depends on the wine. I notice Americans are silly about wines and have no idea about vintages or even the additives that are put into their wines, also Americans have all sorts of myths going about wine; that the French do not have. You can drink it tomorrow or the next night. If you think it tastes not so good then make chicken in red wine or beef bourguignon
The problem with wine in the US is they all have sulfites in them. You can get wine in the US without sulfites but you have to ask for “organic” wine in the wine shop – and read the label.
It should last about a month and the best place is in a dry dark cupboard.
AAAKKKK! NO! Cork it, use a vacuum for wine if you have one(they aren’t too expensive), and store it in a cool place. Please don’t refrigerate!
You don’t have to refrigerate red wine.The next time you go to the store to buy wine ask the cashier about the vacu vin that you use to keep the wine drinkable for about a week.
NEVER refrigerate red wine!