Ask George: How long does it take for a bottle of wine to go bad?

How long does it take for a bottle of wine to go bad? —Bob C., St. Louis

While we’re tempted to say, “Way faster than you thought,” there are more definitive explanations and answers.

Oxygen is the enemy of opened wine, so if you slow down the oxidation process, you slow the spoilage. In the simplest of terms, here a few rules of thumb:

• White wines are more durable than reds.
• Young wines are more resilient than vintage bottles.
• Refrigerated wines hang on longer than room-temp wines.
• The fuller the bottle (less oxygen), the slower the spoilage rate.

Over the years, several products and gadgets have been introduced to slow the oxidation process. Wine saver pumps (such as the Vacu Vin brand, which has been around since 1984) create an airtight vacuum in the bottle and claim to preserve wines for up to two weeks.

Less common but equally effective are aerosol wine preserver sprays, which use a heavy inert gas, such as argon, to basically act as a blanket, thereby insulating the wine from harmful oxygen. The system most often used in restaurants is the Coravin, a gadget that preserves wine without removing the cork. Invented in 2011, the Coravin user draws a glass or two from a bottle through a micro-thin needle, and the liquid is replaced by argon gas, preserving the remainder of the bottle for years. According to Forbes, since the pandemic, Coravin sales have soared. “As people were forced to stay at home, many decided to treat themselves to finer wines and/or raid their wine cellars,” the article noted, “but they didn’t want to drink the whole bottle.”

Courtesy Angela Ortmann

Courtesy Angela Ortmann

We asked two local sommeliers (and SLM contributors) to opine on wine spoilage. Angela Ortmann, a.k.a. STLwinegirl, offers the following tips:

1. To limit air exposure, recork the bottle with every pour.
2. Keep the wine ice cold—after you’re finished with the bottle, put it in the fridge, no matter if its sparkling, white, red, or rosé.
3. Vacuum seal when and if possible.

Ortmann’s unaided “use by” guidelines are as follows:

• Bubbles: one extra day (if resealed)
• Whites: up to three days (but really closer to two)
• Rosés: up to two days
• Reds: up to three days

Courtesy Denise Mueller

Courtesy Denise Mueller

Denise Mueller, a St. Louis–based certified sommelier and specialist of wine who owns the Mid-American School of Wine and wine course PreSomm, offers the following suggestions:

Sparkling:

1. For higher-end and Champagne, open only when the bottle will be consumed. Serve at 35 degrees for optimal bubbles and pours. 
2. For value-priced bottles, store in your fridge with a “Champagne stopper,” and drink the wine for up to three days.

White and Rosé:

1. Younger, cleaner whites and rosés that are kept in a fridge with their cork/screw cap back in place can last up to five days, though the flavor profile will change after three days. 
2. Premium white wines or white wines with age should be consumed in two days to ensure you’re experiencing everything the winemaker intended you to taste and smell.

Reds:

1. Younger and fruit-forward reds (such as domestic Pinot Noir or red blends) can last up to three days if they have a stopper, cork, or screw cap in place. Keep at a room temperature or cooler environment and out of sunlight for optimum longevity.
2. Premium reds and dry red wines can last for up to three days but should be consumed by the second evening. Many wine buyers and sales reps agree that a “big wine” (14.5%-plus alcohol with huge tannins) will sometimes taste more “well-rounded” on the second day. 
3. Aged reds (more than 10 years old) should be consumed within one day. Older wines are often maximized if decanted for several hours before drinking, as oxygen (in the short term) acts to “open up” the nuances of such wines. Wines more than 25 years old tend to be fragile and should be consumed within several hours for maximum enjoyment.

Follow dining editor George Mahe on Twitter and Instagram, or send him an “Ask George” email at [email protected]. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook,  Twitter, and Instagram.