Lock, stock and wine barrel: How to store opened wine

You pulled the cork and had your glass of relaxation – but what do you do with the leftover wine still in the bottle?

Wine storage after opening is a tricky business – oxygen exposure can turn wine into vinegar in hours (although it’s said this happens to aged wines a lot quicker than young vintages).

So, how should you store wine you intend to finish later?

The first tip is to buy a reusable bottle stopper. They come in different shapes and sizes, with different prices – but whether yours is cheap plastic or ornate crystal, what really matters is the plastic or rubber seal.

Ideally, yours should have words like airtight or vacuum seal on the packaging.

Picture: iStock

Obviously, you don’t need this if you opened a screw-top bottle.

Once you re-corked your bottle you need to store it upright in the fridge. Leaving wine on the counter or exposed to sunlight makes it turn acidy quicker.

The mistake many people resealing screw-tops make is storing it on its side in the fridge. It’s always important to store wine upright, as it ensures the least amount of surface exposed to oxygen.

So how long will opened wine keep in the fridge?

MCC or sparkling wine can keep up to three days, light white wines and rose will last up to seven days, while fuller-bodied white wines will keep between three and five days.

You can keep red wines up to five days, while box wines will keep up to a month in the fridge.

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