How long does an opened wine bottle last? How do you tell if the wine has gone bad? And how do you best store it?
Aftonbladet’s wine profile Sarah Lindstrand Mboge has the answer.
Smell and taste
This is the absolute best trick to check if the wine has reached the best-before date. If you feel something that pulls on the vinegar side, the wine has unfortunately become bad.
– When the bottle has been open for a while, the wine begins to oxidize, which gives it a nutty, sour and unbalanced taste, says Sarah Lindstrand Mboge, sommelier and Aftonbladet’s new wine profile.
A tip is to pour a sample of the wine into a small glass and smell it so that it does not smell defective, for example of rotten onions or acetone. If the wine is sealed with a cork, it is also important to feel that it does not smell musty, then the wine may have become cork defective.
– An opened wine lasts about three to five days in the refrigerator, says Sarah.
How long does sparkling wine last?
In terms of taste, sparkling wine lasts about three to four days, even if the bubbles disappear faster than that.
How long does boxed wine last?
An opened box of red wine can last as long as six weeks if stored in the refrigerator. For white wine and rosé, three to four weeks apply. If you have the box at room temperature, the shelf life will be half as long.
Is it dangerous to drink wine that tastes bad?
– No. Unlike food, you will not get bad from an old wine. A tip is to use wine that tastes a little worse for cooking!
How do you best store an opened wine bottle?
– In the fridge, with the cap on. Regardless of color. Many people do not like when red wine gets cold in the fridge, but I think it should be too cold rather than too hot. You can always heat what is in the glass but not cool it easily! she says.
If the bottle is unopened – how is it best stored then?
– Then it is best stored in a place where it is dark, cool and a little damp. A wine that is exposed to light and heat changes loses both fruit and taste. The cork can shrink and the flavors become bad.
If you want to store wine – what do you do then?
There are several tricks to give the wine the best conditions for storage. Here are Sarah’s six best tips:
How long should you store a wine?
– It depends on the purpose and the wine, but I would say at least five years.
Can all wines be stored?
Most wines are sold ready to drink. The wine producer has already stored the wine for as long as needed to make it taste good when sold. Other wines need time to develop their aromas and flavors.
– The best wine to store is one that has a high alcohol content and contains a lot of tannins and sugar that is preservative. Feel free to read a little about the wine and the producer to know if it benefits from being stored.
Sarah Lindstrand Mboge