Just stuff the cork or closure or some rolled up kitchen paper back on and put it in the fridge. Thanks to something called the Arrhenius effect, the slowing of chemical processes at lower temperatures, your wine will last longer in the fridge. This article from wine spectator has a little more on this process.
Like any fruit going off, it all has to do with minimising air contact and oxidation. Some wine barswill pump their unfinished wines full of an inert gas to keep them fresher that little bit longer.Some people transfer the rest into a smaller bottle to reduce the air gap.
They can’t do is indefinitely as some extra oxygen enters and dissolves in the wine upon opening which gets the process going and the vacuums on those expensive things are very far from perfect.
Most whites will go down hill quickly as they generally rely on their freshness. The general rule: the cheaper the wine, the quicker it will oxidise. It all has to do with the way the wine maker has prepared the wine, and cheapies are designed to be opened and finished quickly.
Some young reds will even taste better after being left open for a day or two. You will generally know which ones by the (higher) price you paid for them.
Some tips:
– A spoon hanging in the top of an unfinished sparkling wine/champagne does nothing. You will need an airtight stopper to keep it from going flat for an extra day.
– Bad old leftover wine is not ideal for cooking. It is better placed in the sink or poured into the garden to grow a magical wine tree.
– Most Ports have already been aged before you buy it and will not last forever, nor get better, if left in your bar after opening. You will generally know the exceptions by the high prices you paid for them.
- WINEDUCATION - 