I don’t like white wines too cold. I often drink them over a period of several days, leaving them in my very cold fridge, letting each glass warm to cellar temp before sipping. Sometimes I drink them over a week.
I left Maine somewhat unexpectedly on 24 December, having had a glass of a 2010 Roussanne from Savoie (produced by a grower I represent, so no names) the night before. I was supposed to return on the 28th. I just got back yesterday morning. The wine had been in the fridge for 4 weeks.
Roussanne ages well. It reminded me of a 2005 cool climate Languedoc Roussanne I represent. I opened one tonight and compared it to the Savoie bottle. The similarities were striking. The Savoie wine had not deteriorated at all at 34 degrees, it had just aged beautifully for 5 years in 28 days.
Does anybody else have experience with ageing open dry whites in the fridge? You could call it Extremely Slow Ox. I’m in favor.
Im more interested in why it took you 28 days to get home?? I have had interesting results with German Rieslings being left in the fridge for long amounts of time. Sometimes really transporting a wine to another level, other times not changing a bit. Not so good luck with chardonnay based wines, seem to oxidize much quicker.
I assume “The OC” you give as your location refers to a place in California?
We have weather where I live. It kept me from getting home on schedule. I had other travel planned after I was originally supposed to get home. Rather than go home for 24 hours, I stayed where I was and picked up my travel from there.
I agree with you about Chardonnay. Ones that have not been through malo can develop nicely with cold time. Ones that have been through malo IMO are 'use 'em or lose ‘em’. They Drop Dead very quickly once they are opened, regardless of temp.
OC is Orange County - yes we have weather and it is perfect always! This winter really is something else, 75 - 80 everyday and not a drop of rain with cool evenings (except on Christmas Eve this year it was 72 at midnight!)
What is a typical non malo chardonnay? chablis or the like?
I just finished an '08 Gilbert Picq Dessus La Carriere Chablis which I’d forgotten half-empty in the fridge for a week and a half. Still gorgeous, fresh as a daisy.
I don’t know about aging them but I’ve kept many whites in the fridge and they seem to hold up far better than reds. Not that they necessarily “age”, just that they keep their freshness. Not all of them of course, but on the whole, they’re better bets than reds. I would take out a white that has been opened for a few days but I wouldn’t take out any reds to show if they’re open several days.
Speaking of Tokaji - I’ve frozen a few of those accidentally.
On this occasion our rather large fridge was basically empty, the way I like to leave it when I’m gone for a while. If I leave a bottle overnight when it is full, I just put a cork in it.
There seems to be a consensus (I’m part of it) that whites hold up much better than reds over time in the fridge. I don’t expect much from a red after more than a day or two. Whenever I have leftover red, I refrigerate it, take it out mid-afternoon to come to cool cellar temp before I go back to drinking it.
Dan,
I think you’re on to something re: “extremely slow-ox”. I just found the bottle of Picq, which I mentioned above, still in the refrigerator. It’s been open over a month, and there was one glass left. It drank like a nicely aged Chablis, not like a wine that had simply oxidized. The experience may prompt me to drink a glass from one (or more) of my youngish whites, seal the bottle and put it back in the fridge, and revisit in a month.
Cheers,
Warren
Seems there is little use for coravin or any other device, atleast for whites if they hold up so well.
The most i have saved a red is 3 days. even in the refrigerator, and even if it dont oxidize, on day 3 i have noticed less complexities and more “flatness” comparative to day 1.
For whites, i think i have left some maybe 4 or 5 days. relatively cheap stuff, and didnt notice any change. Nice to know that i can also do that for more expensive whites, makes it easier to open a bottle of red and white at the same time for dinner and save leftovers
Back in the summer of 2008, I inadvertently left a half-full bottle of Tselepos’ 2003 Mantinia (Moschofilero) in the fridge and left for a four-week holiday. Even in Greece, this wine is considered to be relatively ephemeral (drink within two years after vintage is the standard advice), so nobody even ages it for 5 years, let alone expects anything after more than five weeks open in a fridge. I’m not going to say it was quite as fresh as when it was first opened , but it certainly held up very well.
Just one of the countless episodes over the years that serve to remind me how little I know. Many unheralded white wines age really well. And even “light” wines can often be sturdy little things, more so than we often give them credit for.
I once opened a five-year-old Donnhoff Grauburgunder (pinot gris) from 98 or 99 and poured off the remaining half into a 375ml, which was then lost at the back of my refrigerator. About six months later I came on it and tried it. It was stunning – much better than the night it was first opened.
Sometimes I find that the dregs of dry whites I’ve kept for cooking are remarkably potable a month or two after the bottle was opened.
Sugar is an antioxidant, so sweet wines are a different beast and keep well for long periods.
John, do you remember if there was any head space in the Donnhoff 375 ml? I know people who pour wine into small screwcapped bottles (really small, not wine bottles) with no head space, and they say red and white wines are good for months that way.
As for super slow-ox in a refrigerator, I have never found a wine I wanted to drink after more than 3 days open.
, but it certainly held up very well.