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+--- Thread: storing wine? (/thread-18835.html)
- jessie - 04-07-2000
How long can wine be stored in the bottle - without moving it to another, smaller bottle? I have a cork substitute thingy that sucks the excess air out of the bottle each time I'm done with it, but I don't know how long that'll last. And is there a difference with storing times of white vs. reds vs. sparkling wines? Any help is appreciated, many thanks...
jessie
- Thomas - 04-08-2000
Jessie, that thing that supposedly sucks air out of the bottle is truly worthless.
When you open a bottle of wine (750ml) the wine immediately begins to alter from exchange with oxygen. You can preserve it somewhat either by filling the space left in the bottle with nitrogen or pouring half the contents into a smaller bottle and capping it for later use. You can get at least a few days out of the wine that way--red or white, and when you do it, you can refrigerate them.
I have found no good way to preserve sparkling wine, even when using the items that supposedly keep in the CO2; they do, but not for long.
Now, let's see how many disagree with me!
- Bucko - 04-08-2000
Nope, Foodie is dead on (I hate it when I can't argue with him }:> ). Vacuvins are worthless -- I've proved it to myself anyway by taste testing bottles. The best thing to do is drink all of the wine, but that is not always practical. Therefore, oxygen elimination is the key. Pouring into 375 ml bottles is one option. Private Preserve (my prefered method) replaces the oxygen with inert nitrogen. I have kept bottles in the refrigerator with a nitrogen blanket for up to a week without too much degradation of the wine. Champagne stars, a special corking device, holds bubbles for a couple of days, but they got flat pretty quick.
Bucko
- jessie - 04-08-2000
Okay, I'm going to go out on a limb here, but seeing as how I'm in "For The Novice," I'm hoping no one gangs up on me... [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]
1. I was under the impression that reds shouldn't be refrigerated in storage. I did read a little of another post about microwaving a glass of wine that's been refrigerated to bring it to room temperature, but I've just been leaving the unfinished reds on the counter until further drinking... Comments? Suggestions?
2. I was also under the impression (probably more from my mother than anything else) that wine could be stored for up to a month. And she's never moved wine into a smaller decanter as has been suggested here before.
Now, it may just be that with an "untrained palete," as it were, I wouldn't notice a huge difference between two weeks' and four weeks' worth of storage. Of course, I'd love to move in the direction of having more advanced taste buds, but I'm still just new at this!
Anyway, I appreciate your comments - they're very educational - and I hope I'm not making too much of a fool of myself...
Thanks,
Jessie
- Innkeeper - 04-08-2000
A. There's no such thing as a stupid question.
B. Around here, there's no such thing as a stupid answer. If you give one, you will be unstupided quicker than you can say, well I won't say it.
C. Your answer to the Sweet Wines question was right on.
D. Therefore, you are doing fine, and are more than welcome to stick around.
- Dogwalker - 04-09-2000
Jessie, you drift not alone in this ocean of being a novice. I find myself asking many of the same questions that you do.
I am the only one in my house that drinks wine. I am having a great time discovering all the many types. Because of the many medicines I take I must limit the amount of wine I consume. This leads to having a bottle last four or five days. I have the "wine bottle sucker" thing and I like you can't tell a whole lot of difference over the course of consumming the bottle. The temp. thing is also a vexing problem. I haven't found any wine storage/refridge item small enough to fit my budget and space limitations.
The one thing I do enjoy is all the opinions of the many fine wine experts that we find here. I'm sure that in time we shall become world famous under their guidance.
regards, Chuck
- jessie - 04-09-2000
Aww shucks... [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img] Thanks, Innkeeper, for your morale-boosting pep talk!! I figured I was pretty safe, but I also know from reading several of these topics that there are a fair amount of, shall I say, "purists" who frequent this bulletin board - and though I aspire to their amount of knowledge, I'm not there yet. And I still enjoy wine - I'm glad to know that's not impossible. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
So far, I'm enjoying my wine education quite a bit, and I truly am learning from the postings here. I'm also taking some wine classes from a local natural foods store and reading a book called "The Complete Wine Course" by Kevin Zraly. I'm pleasantly surprised to find that the world of wine isn't as difficult to decode as I thought it would be. Sure, there are many ways to make the whole issue more complicated, but it can also be as accessible as you'd like it to be. And that's refreshing.
I was so excited when I finally "understood" what tannin was... [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
Anyway, thanks again for your comments, and you can bet I'll stick around!!
Thanks,
Jessie
- Thomas - 04-10-2000
Jessie, refrigeration is ok for white and red, but keep in mind that a refrigerator is a dry environment--not good for long storage.
In a winery, all wines are kept cool.
- hotwine - 04-10-2000
I might as well chip in my two bits' worth on this subject.
For a number of years, I tried to preserve an opened bottle of wine for even a couple of days by reinserting the cork. I even got a corking machine, and used new corks, but with the same result: there would be enough air in the bottle to oxidize the wine, so that it was worthless the next day. Now for the last couple of years, I've used Vacuvin, but sparingly: follow the directions in moistening the rubber stopper, then pump it 6-8 times with the little hand-pump, to expel as much air as possible. Then for white wines, I store 'em in my daughter's old college dorm-style refrigerator in our utility room. Have found that a Riesling will normally last up to three days, a Pinot Griggio two days, and a Sauvignon Blanc only 24 hours. A red wine that's been "plugged" gets placed on the kitchen counter, and consumed within 24 hours. And I would never try to use Vacuvin on a premier cru, only on Beaujolais, Rhone or Rioja. As for champagne, one is duty-bound to consume it without delay. I've wrapped the neck in SaranWrap and placed it in the fridge for consuming later the same evening, but have not found a satisfactory way to preserve it even overnight. We've now gone to using the half-bottles of Veueve Cliquot Yellow label, if it's just the two of us; that way, there's no worry about drinking more than we wish, or wasting good wine.
That was a long-winded two-bits' worth, but I never claimed to be short on opinions.
- Dogwalker - 04-11-2000
OK! Lets expand a little on this storage subject. It seems that the smaller bottle (375ml)is the best answer to keeping wine longer. The less air in the bottle, or total lack of it is best.
My next question is that there is different temps that appear to be best for different wines. Keeping in mind the air verses wine problem, what does the changes in temps., in the fridge - out of the fridge - back into the fridge have on the the wine?
Chuck
PS Speaking of temperture. I have a receipe that I am making tonight and it calls for wine. Question is does it make any difference what the temp of the wine is when it is added to the rest of the items?
Thanks, Chuck
[This message has been edited by Dogwalker (edited 04-11-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Dogwalker (edited 04-11-2000).]
- Innkeeper - 04-11-2000
Regardless how you are "preserving" your leftover wine, it should be in the refrigerator. This is because no matter what system you use there will be some oxygen left in contact with the wine. This will do more damage at room temp that in the refer. Take red wine out from a half hour to an hour before serving again, depending on the temperature of the ice box.
[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 04-11-2000).]
- Thomas - 04-11-2000
Dogwalker, the temperature of a wine gives little, if any, credence to the wine's color or strength, except for when you are ready to consume it; then, 55 for whites, 65 for reds--generally; real cold for sparkling wines.
As for the temperature when cooking: I always bring to room temperature wine, cream or any liquid with which I cook. Has to do with both cooking time and frothing activity (cream).
- Dogwalker - 04-11-2000
ICEBOX!!!!!!!
Innkeeper, we are showing our age.
Wait-a-minute, I remember calling it that also. Where have all the years gone?
I only had the 13th aniv. of my 39th birthday this year. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img]
Thanks for the info.
Chuck
- Thomas - 04-11-2000
Whaddaya tawkin'? I already celebrated the 15th anniversary of my 39th birthday, and I never called that thing an ice box. But I do remember the mounds of ice that built up on the tiny so-called freezer box at the top portion of our Frigidaire, the one that lasted until 1990.
- jessie - 04-11-2000
Vacuvin is the product I use, and it certainly appears to be doing SOMETHING (what, exactly, is undetermined), as removal of the rubber "cork" produces a definite sucking of air back into the bottle.
-Jessie
- mrdutton - 04-11-2000
I am on the 12th year of my 39th birthday, and I used to call refrigerators by the old term: ice box.
That is what my grandparents and parents used to call them for years. I guess it all depends on where you are from and how you were brought up.
Whatever, I tend to agree with Innkeeper. If you are going to try to preserve an opened bottle of wine (except champagne), then at least refrigerate it in the ice box.
[This message has been edited by mrdutton (edited 04-17-2000).]