Chances are you’ve found yourself with a half-drank bottle of wine and you’ve been stumped by this question: how do you store an open bottle of wine and keep it from going bad?
Rather than provide some fancy gadget for you to buy, I recommend you follow these tricks instead.
As you probably know by now, oxygen is both good and bad for wine. Initially, oxygen improves the taste of wine, but long exposure to oxygen ruins wine. There are fancy gadgets out there that help alleviate this problem but, it can also be solved by following one or two of these tricks. Don’t waste a small fortune, follow these tricks to ensure your wine will last a few more days.
#1 Reduce Surface Area
One of the biggest threats to storing wine is surface area. The more oxygen in contact with the wine, the faster it starts to degrade. If only drink half a bottle of wine, the leftover wine in the bottle is now exposed to half a bottle of oxygen. And that’s not good if you’re planning to drink the rest tomorrow.
One trick to avoid this problem is to transfer the leftover wine into a smaller container. I like to use a half bottle of wine (375 ml). Half bottles can be found at most stores that sell regular bottles (750 ml) of wine. They’re perfect for storing wine you want to drink later. Simply drink the wine that came in the half bottle and rinse it well with water. When you have a wine you want to save, transfer the leftover wine from your regular size bottle into the empty half bottle, then close the bottle with a cork or plastic wrap. Ultimately, you’ll want to make sure there is a good seal. Place the bottle in the fridge to better preserve it. If the wine is new, it should last at least two more days in its smaller home. See, no need for a fancy gadget you can use the half bottle again and again.
#2 Store in the Fridge
If you don’t have a half bottle and you’re in a pinch, place it in the fridge. This is a great way to ensure your wine will last at least another day. Because of the cold temperature inside your fridge, oxygen can’t inflict the same amount of damage at the same speed as it could if you leave the bottle on the counter. To keep your wine tasting great another day, simply replace the cork or screw the cap and store it in the fridge. Your wine should still be great the following night, waiting for you to pour when you get home from work.
Cheers,
Natalie