How long do they keep?

[Razkowski]

Hello everyone, I have a question. I'm sampling reds and whites, trying to find my niche. I'm keeping the reds at about 65 degrees F, and the whites chilled. Is this about right? If so, how long will they keep?

Also, letting wines breathe....when and why?

Thanks in advance

[Kcwhippet]

Optimum storage temps for the reds and the whites are at about 55 F. Keeping them both at 65 F shouldn't harm them. I wouldn't keep the whites chilled in the fridge since the temps are so low, they don't really evolve. Also, serving them at such low temps doesn't show them off at their best. The flavors tend to be muted and the acid becomes more prominent. I keep my wines in a 60 F cellar and chill the whites for about 30 minutes or so before serving. As to how long they keep, that really depends on what the wines are. For example, most red wines are meant to be drunk fairly young - within a few years of the vintage. It's really only a small percentage of all the red wines made that benefit from longer term aging.

You let wines, primarily reds, breathe to allow some oxygenation which wil help the wine show better. With many younger reds, the best method is what's called splash decanting. Let the wine gurgle out of the bottle into a decanter and sit for an hour or so. Whites are rarely decanted to breathe.

[ShortWiner]

Once opened, though, most wine lasts only a day or less...there are some strategies for prolonging an opened wine's life. You can find them if you search in this forum.