What to do with Your Opened Wine
The party’s over. The guests have filtered out. And there, in the relaxed afterglow of a great party, you notice you’ve opened but not served all of your wine. A Merlot. A White Zin. What a shame. Aside from perhaps pouring yourself a congratulatory glass, what to do with all that leftover wine? The real skinny: oxygen will start influencing the flavor of any wine almost immediately upon opening a bottle. So tightly recorking those bottles pronto will help keep them drinkable for a day or two. So will popping them in the fridge. Also, as a rule of thumb, bigger reds, like Merlots may last a little longer than other wines. A few tips for leftover wine:
- the more wine in a bottle, the longer it should last if you recork it
- use a replacement wine stopper
- pour unused wine into a smaller seal-able container with less room for oxygen
- make a marinade, salad dressing or sauce with your leftover wine
Keep in mind that chilling any wine, white or red, brings out its natural acidity. That being said, if you do chill a red wine, give it time to warm to room temperature before you enjoy it again. Wines like Sutter Home’s Chardonnay and White Zinfandel, however, are great chilled, and are wonderful right out of the fridge for a little day-after-the-party relaxation! Learn more about Wine Tips Thumbnail Image:
Check out a couple of our other great blog posts:
Is my white wine too cold? Is my red wine too warm? Like everything in wine, this can be debated or it can be kept simple. Let’s keep it simple!
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