how long can red wine stay good?

Question

I was given a bottle of red wine for my birthday (late september) that I've only drank one glass from, but have kept it refrigerated and corked. Is it still good? I also have another bottle that I received at the end of a Thanksgiving party that is half full, and has also been properly corked after it was openned. Are either of these bottles still good? Or should I just dump them?

Answer 1

I make wine and I as long as you have them cool and corked they should be fine. The longer you let wine age the better. Granted that if to much is out of the wine and to much air is in the bottle you can get some sour wine. Then you can cook with it. By all means do not just dump it. Take a little wine out, let it get to room temp then smell it and taste it. If it smells good and tastes good then your ok. I have had wine that has sat for 6 or 7 months that tastes better after it has sat then the day I got it.

Use your judgment, you can tell if it is bad or not.

Enjoy!!!

Answer 2

Usually after you open a bottle of wine, it's only good for day or two. White wine maybe 48 hours, red maybe 72. Toward the end, a wine taster will turn his nose.

There are some tips to help preserve it, but after a few days you reach a point of diminishing return. You can get a recorking device that pulls all the air out of the bottle, creating a vacuum seal. This will help. You can also move the wine to a smaller container, such that it has less room to evaporate key ingredients.

But no matter what you do, you really can't keep wine good for more than a week after you've opened it.

Answer 3

Neither putting the cork back in nor keeping it in the fridge will extend the life of an opened bottle of wine. Once opened, oxygen enters and spoils the wine quite quickly by oxidyzing it, normally in 3-4 days. Unless you have an oxygen-free fridge (which I doubt you do), your old opened bottles of wine are pretty much kaput.

For next time, try one of those vaccuum-sealing caps that come with a little manual pump for about $10. They will keep an opened bottle of wine for a couple of weeks, but not more.

Also, bear in mind that most red wines are best at room temperature, so try to avoid the fridge altogether.

Answer 4

I'd pour each of them (just a few sips worth of each) in a glass (one glass for each bottle.) Let them reach room temp, then smell them. If they smell sour or like vinegar, just dump them. If they smell ok, then take a tiny sip of each -- just a few drops. If it's not repulsive to you, then it should be ok. If the wine has gone bad, it'll probably have some gritty sediment and just not look right. You'll know. They typically go bad within a week, but if you've had it refrigerated and corked (it's not customary to chill most red wine,) maybe you'll have some luck.

Answer 5

Red wine quickly sours once opened. You probably have a good bottle of red wine vinegar in your fridge right now. If it smells like vinegar, then it is no longer good to drink.
The rule for red wine is: when you open it, plan on drinking the whole bottle in no more than 24 hours. If you don't finish it in 2 hours after opening it, refridgerate it, but after a few short days, it is bad. The problem is that once opened, oxygen gets in, and it's over.

Answer 6

In the future, decant 1/2 the original bottle into a 375ml bottle and cork it. You can save this for an indefinite period of time so you don't have to consume the whole bottle at once.

Answer 7

Based on your additional details, yes, don't drink wine that has been open for 2 weeks. Opened wine (whether it's white, red, sweet or sparkling) won't last much longer than 1 week.

Answer 8

Get rid of them.

Red wine typically only last a few days. Both of your bottles should have a vinegary smell to them now and taste too bitter. And most red wine should not be kept in the frig. White and blush should always be refrig'd.

Answer 9

I always enjoy to drink wine

Answer 10

Either just cook with them or dump them. They won't be good for sipping....