Whites in the fridge. Reds on the counter to follow the development over several days. I do not drink much old wine, but if it seems at the end of it’s window or am I not going to drink for several days, it goes into the fridge as well.
I leave them all at room temp. I am interested in seeing how they evolve, rather than preserving them in the state of the first night.’'FWIW
I’ve always understood this to have been bad for corks, which ends up being bad for wine if the cork loses integrity from significant changes in temperature / pressure.
I take whatever is left over and put it in a plastic water bottle (Dasani), squeeze out the air, then place it in the fridge. Works like a charm.
To the Pungo and Coravin posters: I’m curious as to what the device has to do with where you store wine after using it. Does it change your decision versus what you did before?
When I use my Pungo, I leave it attached to the bottle and the bottle placed in my cellar standing straight up of course.
Hi Jason,
Just wanted to mention that there’s no problem laying it on its side either if you want to keep the cork wet. That’s what I usually do.
Burt
Good to know. I’m usually drinking w/i a few days. Should I wait any certain amount of time before placing on side?
thx
No Jason, it doesn’t make a difference; although if finishing in a few days keeping the cork wet probably isn’t an issue either. I’d just go with whatever is most convenient.
Winner.
I’ve been using my Coravin much more lately than in the past and have found great enjoyment from it. No bad bottles after accessing the bottle, yet. Fingers crossed as I’m interested to see if the last bottle I coravined ends up bad.
Update - Got a Coravin and it’s been a game changer. We would often finish reds so as to drink them at their peak. Now we can drink as much or as little as we please, which is resulting in less consumption (which for me is a good thing).
I usually take 2 -3 days to go through a bottle of wine, due to health reasons and being the solo drinker in the house.
I have regularily stored my wine in the fridge in between sipping sessions with no problems. I pull serious reds out early to get rid of the chill. As to if the wine drinks well on day 3, depends more on the type and structure of wine.
I have yet to try a Coravin .
While not elegant this would seem like the best idea. If you fill it to the top there can be any air left in it.
We go through a good amount of bottles at our house. Unfinished whites go back in the fridge corked. Reds sit corked on the counter until they are finished (could be a day or two, could be more). I like to see how the wine evolves on the counter at room temp. Every wine is different and you get some cool surprises this way. Plus, it’s easy.
Caveat: If I’m showing a set of wines to professional buyers over the course of a few days, I’ll take a lot more care to get argon into the head spaces. I think you want to show them the closest representation you have of a just opened bottle of wine.
The Mrs and I enjoy the occasional glass of wine from decent bottle once or twice a week. We choose to pour a newly opened bottle straight into a 375ml bottle, fill it right up to the brim (screwcap btls are handy here to avoid a big mess). The 375ml bottle gets labeled and goes straight into the fridge; from past experiences we have found the bottle to retain much of the same flavour profile for up to 3 weeks in the fridge. Any leftover wine from the original bottle is recorked and left in a cool spot of the kitchen, especially if the wine is something that is young or has further aging potential. Amazing how some wines fall apart the next day or better yet surprises by evolving over the course of 2-3 days. Only exception to this rule is for older aged wines and/or champagne, for which we almost always consume (often with close friends) the same day/night.
If I am not going to finish a bottle I like to use a wine vacuum stopper and put it upright in the fridge. The vacuum helps reduce some of the air/oxygen in the bottle, having it upright reduces the surface area of the wine being exposed to the air inside the bottle (sideways could spill too!), and the refrigeration helps slow the oxidation of the wine. One thing you can do to help preserve the bottle even more is do the vacuum stopper and fridge immediately after pouring the wine.
From an article I found How “Temperature Affects the Aging of Wine” you can see how dramatic temperature storage can be for wine: “If you must keep an opened bottle of wine for a few days, the best place to store it is in your refrigerator which is typically at a temperature of about 41°F (5°C). The chemical reactions leading to spoilage (primarily oxidation-reduction) will be slowed down by a factor of 6 to 16 times compared with storage at room temperature (about 73°F). Therefore, a wine should last 6 to 16 times longer in the refrigerator than at room temperature.”
I have a Coravin that I use quite a bit as well, but this is primarily used if I know I will not drink that wine for week or longer. I find that it is not worth the gas and effort to do this if I am drinking it in the next few days.
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I’m tasting Detert and Dakota Shy samples on Day 5 sitting on my desk. They just keep getting better. There isn’t anything to stress about, honestly. You can always pour wine into a half bottle, leaving a minimum headspace, insert the cork and stand in the refrigerator door for up to a week.
Living single, I definitely don’t finish a bottle in one night unless I’m bringing it to share with friends or family. This means that if I open an “everyday” wine during the weeks, I’m drinking it over 2-3 days, even if it’s a Riesling with 8-9% alcohol.
Years ago, I read an article from Matt Kramer saying that Vacu Vin was all marketing, and wasn’t worth buying. Whether Matt is right or not, I stayed away from Vacu Vin - perhaps it works for others, though - I’m certainly open to hearing other assessments.
Anyway, I try to buy even weekday wines that will hold up for at least a couple of days without fading badly. I can’t bring myself to spend the $$$ on a Coravin even though it does work at advertised - personally, I’d rather use that money for wine. If I want to open something for a meal that would significantly decline after opening - for example, a Fino/Manzanilla Sherry - 375s are my way to go.
The standard fridge always works well for wines that I plan to drink within a few months. Although the vibrations aren’t ideal for bottles that you want to age for an extended period of time, it’s perfectly fine for something that you plan to drink in the near term, provided that it’s not a fragile older vintage that you recently purchased.
This past year I finally found a system which I think works best for me. Since my wife rarely drinks, I will have plenty after opening a bottle. I have had various vacuum pumps, and will use this on the bottle if I have one, maybe two glasses. If I have more, I picked up a pack of 4 oz. Bottles on amazon for something like $12. Fill these, refrigerate, and has worked marvelously. Cheers!