When Do You Drink That Opened Bottle of Wine? Now!

One of the questions I’m frequently asked by wine drinkers is, “how long can we keep a bottle of wine once it’s opened?” I usually interpret this to mean, “We didn’t drink the entire bottle in one sitting. Can we come back several days later and finish it?” Much to their disappointment, my answer is almost always to drink it now.

After a bottle of wine is opened it becomes exposed to the air. This is initially a good thing for most red wines, which usually require a few hours breathing time to allow the flavors to open up and the tannins to begin softening. But beyond that, extended air exposure for both red and white wines inevitably leads to a decline in quality.

While vacuum pumps, seals and stoppers can temporarily slow down this process, they’re ultimately ineffective because they never completely eliminate all of the air from inside the bottle. And while refrigerating a white wine can slightly lengthen its drinkability time, the wine seldom, if ever, tastes as good the second time around.

So when should you drink your wine if finishing it the day it’s opened is impractical? My advice is to go no more than one extra day with a special exception to young or especially tannic red wines that may actually taste better after being opened for two or three days. Anything after that and it’s strictly a game of chance.

If that’s not possible, then consider using the wine for cooking. Try popping a couple of cloves of garlic into an unfinished bottle of wine and use it as a marinade. If you liked it in the glass, you’ll enjoy it with your food.