Photo by Lily Combs on Unsplash
An EverWonderWine reader recently had a bad experience with a non-alcoholic wine. It thickened and smelled bad just a few days after opening. The question asked was “What makes a non-alcoholic wine go bad quicker than regular wine?”
There are several factors that could have contributed to the non-alcoholic wine spoiling rapidly.
Here are some of the factors:
Alcohol acts as a natural preservative. Regular wine usually has 12–15% alcohol by volume (ABV), which helps prevent spoilage by inhibiting bacterial growth.
Non-alcoholic wine has little to no alcohol (often less than 0.5% ABV), so it lacks that natural protection, making it more vulnerable to spoilage.
Without any alcohol, oxidation and microbial growth occur more rapidly after opening a bottle.
Without alcohol to inhibit growth, bacteria or wild yeasts can thrive, especially in a warm environment.
These microbes can metabolize the residual sugar and other compounds in the wine, producing by-products that change the texture, making the wine thicker or syrupy.
While alcoholic wine (especially red wine) can often last 3–7 days once opened (depending on storage), non-alcoholic wine typically lasts 2–3 days in the fridge after opening when also using a wine-pump stopper to reduce oxygen exposure.
So, once you’ve opened that bottle of non-alcoholic wine, your best bet is to finish it off! After all, it’s non-alcoholic! Cheers!