Wine is one of the few things that unites everyone despite whatever problems and stresses they're dealing with. Wine is also a universal language we all understand, despite the languages we speak in real life.
Whenever a new bottle is uncorked, it's such a treat to enjoy it with a group of friends. However, when we open a bottle, we tend to feel compelled to drink it all right then and there since we usually don't know how long it will last — until now. How long does open wine last? Here are all the deets.
Light-bodied Wines
A light-bodied wine is anything that has an alcohol content of 12.5% or under. Think of canned wines, some rosés, Pinot Noir, Champagne, Prosecco, and some white wines. Most red wines are medium to full-bodied, so aside from the above exceptions, they will almost never be classified as light.
The rule of thumb here is to not keep them open for more than three days, or they'll be flatter than a tire, especially rosé. Nothing tastes worse than having sour, mouthwash-like rosé— take it from someone with personal experience.
Although three days may be way too short of a time period to keep such light-bodied wines in your fridge, I do have some good news for you. If you have some self-control and are able to not drink most of your wine in one go, your light-bodied white wines can last anywhere from five to seven days in the fridge.
Medium-bodied Wines
Medium-bodied wines are any wine with an alcohol content of 12.5% to 13.5%. These include your standard rosés, Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Keep them open (but corked) five to seven days at most. The type of wine determines how fresh it will stay once opened.
Full-bodied Wines
A full-bodied wine is any wine with an alcohol content of 13.5% or higher, which includes some white wines and the majority of red wines. You can keep the reds open around four to five days, and the whites three to five days because how quickly they oxidize.
White wines like Chardonnay tend to oxidize quicker than red wine because of the amount of oxygen introduced to them before the bottle-aging process. Using a cork stops excess air from getting into the bottles, thus making them last longer. You can keep full-bodies whites for three to five days at most, depending on the type of wine.
What to Do With Your Remaining Wine
If you don't know what to do remaining wine, cooking with it is a good option. I reccommend making these red wine cupcakes, wine-infused grapes, rosé slushies, or this red wine margarita.
Seeing wine go to waste is one of the most disheartening things to deal with (especially if you spent a lot on a bottle). However, hopefully now you know how long open wine actually lasts and can enjoy your wine for longer now that you know how to keep it fresh for as long as possible.
Regardless of which kind of wine you end up drinking in real life, it's important to cork all already opened bottles and to remember to use most of it up before it expires on you. By the end of this article, if you still don't know what to do with your remaining wine, you can always use it to grow a garden.