Ever Wonder? Here's How to Properly Store an Opened Bottle of Wine

It happens. You open and bottle of wine but don't finish it. Now what?  Well, you a have a couple of options.

First, it's best if you can limit wine's exposure to air.  Exposure to air will tend to take the life out of it. So, it's best to use a device that can remove the air from the bottle and seal it.  There are several such inexpensive devices that will do this.  They consist of bottle stoppers and a vacuum pump.  After placing the rubber stopper in the bottle, you simply hand-pump the bottle to remove the air.  First issue resolved!

The second thing you should do is to keep the wine cool. Any kind of heat of 65 degrees F or higher will also ruin a wine. If it's a white wine, simply put it in the refrigerator.  It will keep nicely for 1-3 days. When you're ready to finish the bottle, just take it out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you intend to drink it.  That way it'll be at the right temperature.  If it's a red wine, you can also put it in the refrigerator or simply store it in a nice cool spot that gets little or no sun exposure.  In the refrigerator, a red is probably only going to hold up well overnight. So, be sure to enjoy the rest of the wine the next day.

Of course, the easiest way to avoid the problem all together is to finish the bottle!  But when that's not an option, simply try to limit the open bottle's exposure to air and keep it cool.  Then finish the bottle soon. Cheers! 

Photo by Christine Isakzhanova on Unsplash

Do You Know that Light Can Damage Wine?

Photo by Andrew Seaman on Unsplash

While heat can be a bottle of wine’s biggest enemy, it turns out that light can also do damage.

The biggest source of light damage comes from a bottle being exposed to too much sunlight and its harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. But even fluorescent lights in a store or in your home can be damaging.

Now, there are many variables as to how much damage can occur including how much time the bottle is exposed to the light, the type of wine in the bottle and the bottling material.

The damage that occurs to a bottle of wine occurs over time and can dull the fruit flavors in the wine or, worst case, results in some unpleasant smells being generated in the bottle as the wine undergoes chemical changes as a result of the interactions with the rays of light.

In general, it’s important to protect your wine from exposure to ultraviolet light. White wines, sparkling wines and rosés are more susceptible to damage than reds. And, to compound the problem, many white wines and rosés are bottled in clear glass that provide little to no protection to the wine.

Green glass bottles provide greater protection than clear glass, but amber or brown glass is an even greater safeguard. But, unfortunately, white wines and rosé wines are usually sold in clear glass so as to show off their color.

You’ve probably seen shelves of bottled wine in store-front windows. And, you certainly seen shelves of wine in stores with fluorescent lighting. Sunlight can do damage quickly while indoor fluorescent lighting’s harmful effect occurs over time.

So, don’t buy wines that have been sitting in store-front windows. And, shop for bottles of wine in stores that have a good turnover of their stock since the lighting and the store temperature can take a toll.

While there is no one answer for how much light equates to damage, it’s best to play is safe and only store wines for extended periods of time in the coolest, darkest part of your house. Then, enjoy all the fruit flavors that the winemaker intended for you to experience. Cheers!

Natural Wine Corks Help a Wine to Age but Can Also Lead to Oxidation

Over the years, I’ve had my share of wines go bad even with proper storage in a wine refrigerator that’s in a dark location. These were medium-bodied California red wines that were 7-10 years old and I had expected them to hold up well. But, upon pulling the cork and pouring a glass, it was immediately obvious by the brown-orange hue and the nutty smell and taste that they were oxidized.

It’s always greatly disappointing to have a bottle go bad and have to dump it. But why?

During some recent reading, I was again reminded that natural corks in wine bottles allow a tiny fraction of oxygen through them - this actually helps a wine age. But, what I hadn’t appreciated was that a natural wine cork can actually allow enough oxygen through it in two to three years to breakdown the sulfites that are added to wines to prevent a wine from oxidizing!

It’s often said, and I’ll repeat it again, most wines are not meant for aging. And, I’ve proved that to myself several times. So, when you purchase nice bottle of red wine, my recommendation is to enjoy it within a year or two if properly stored in a wine refrigerator that’s in a dark location. Beyond that you can run into trouble. Cheers!

Ever Wonder? Can Wine Turn to Vinegar?

It’s a common phrase used when wine goes bad — “It’s turned to vinegar.” But, has the wine magically transformed itself from something that’s enjoyable to drink to something that can be mixed with olive oil and poured over a salad?

The answer is technically yes, it can. But not really. Vinegar can be made from wine - Red wine vinegar is one example of this. Red wine vinegar does start with red wine, but a vinegar “mother” is added to the wine to create vinegar. This “mother” is a gelatinous disc that looks like jiggly raw liver. It's composed of cellulose and acetic acid bacteria that turns alcohol into acetic acid with help from oxygen and time. A good wine vinegar will age for 10-15 years.

So, what happens when a bottle of wine “turns to vinegar?” Without getting into all the technical details, the wine has simply gotten 'infected' with bacteria. This bacteria occurs naturally in the air and on fruit. This leads to acetic acid building up in the wine in combination with too much exposure to oxygen. When this happens, you’ll immediately notice that your wine will take on a sharp vinegar smell that’s also been described as being like nail polish remover.

While wine vinegar is a real thing, your bottle of wine doesn’t actually turn to vinegar that you’d want to consume. So, if you do open a bottle of wine that smells like vinegar, send it back, return it or, dump it down the drain. And, the best way to keep a bottle of wine from going bad before you open it is to ensure it is well sealed (no leakage through the cork), kept cool and out of direct sunlight. Once opened, a bottle of wine should be stored properly by removing air from the bottle with a vacuum-sealed stopper, stored in a cool place and consumed within a couple of days. Cheers!

Ever Wonder What Makes a Wine Age Worthy? (Part 2)

Wines with the best “structure” will generally age most gracefully.

Finding wines that will improve over time requires that you pay attention to a wine’s structure. What is structure? These are the primary components:

• Acidity - Wines lose acidity over time, so it’s important that the acidity be moderately high to aid as a preservative. Acidity can be detected in a wine by it mouth-watering characteristic.

• Tannin - These compounds stabilize a wine’s flavor and help maintain its color. Tannins, when young, will be detected by its astringency or mouths-drying characteristic.

• Alcohol - Acts as a stabilizer in higher amounts (e.g. fortified wines) and in some dry wines with >15% ABV). Alcohol levels are generally printed on the label. High levels of alcohol can be detected by a mild burning sensation in the throat after swallowing.

Finally, it’s the interaction of tiny amounts of oxygen in the bottle along with the acids, tannins and alcohol that produce the chemical interactions that affect how a wine ages.

But, each of these attributes must be in balance with one another. That is, in proportion to each other. And, the best way to know if a wine is balanced is by tasting it and learning to detect this overall balance.

Here are some wines that tend to have good structure that tend to be age-worthy:

• Cabernet Sauvignon

• Syrah

• Merlot

• Bordeaux Wines (which are primarily blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah)

• Nebbiolo

• Sangiovese (the grape used in Italian Chianti)

• Tempranillo (the grape used in Spanish Rioja)

• Pinot Noir (the grape used to make red Burgundy)

• Malbec

Even with this knowledge, experienced collectors sometimes have trouble determining which wines will age and for how long. So, you’re not alone in trying to figure this out.

Again, most wines are ready for consumption as soon as they are bottle. It’s only a very small percentage of wines that are actually able to age well. And, you’ll probably need to spend $50 (US) or more to find such age-worth wines.

So, if you find a great red wine, with great structure and it’s well-balanced, try putting a few more away in proper storage, and then pull them out one at a time (every 6 to 12 months) to see how they are changing with age. Hopefully for the better! Cheers!