Storing an opened bottle of wine

[sj261338]

What is the best way to store an unfinished, opened bottle of wine?

[Innkeeper]

Hi SJ, and welcome to the Wine Board. The easiest and best way is to acquire a half bottle (375 ml) and a good quality stopper. Decide to drink half a regular size (750 ml) bottle on two occassions. Open the bottle, pour it into the half bottle up to the top, insert the stopper, and put the bottle in the fridge. Enjoy the half that is left in the 750 ml that night. Within two or three days drink the other half. If it is red wine, remove from fridge and let it warm up to 60 - 65 degrees F before serving.

[Kcwhippet]

A similar option I use (on the rare occasion when there's anything left in the bottle) is to use 187 ml bottles. I got a 4 pack of Sutter Home White Zin from the shop, took them home, emptied them out and cleaned them well. Now when there's any wine left I put it in one (or more) of the bottles all the way to the top to leave no oxygen on top. Then I close it with the screw cap, which I've found to be somewaht easier to use repeatedly than the cork on a regular 375 ml bottle. Another option is to use Private Preserve. This is a spray can of inert gases (nitrogen, argon and carbon dioxide) which covers the surface of the wine and displaces the oxygen. As you may be noticing, oxygen is the culprit that causes the fairly rapid deterioration of the wine.

[Innkeeper]

KC, instead of bringing home the SH White Zin and dumping it, why not bring home a 4-pack of Yellow Tail Shiraz or Bella Sera Merlot and marinating and/or cooking with it?

[mrdutton]

I've net yet seen the 4 packs of YellowTail.

The 4 packs of Sutter Home are abundant in this white collar region of the south i call home.

(But trust me on one thing, it is not as red neck as Panama City, FL.)

[Innkeeper]

Don't understand it. We are at the end of the food chain here.