Wine drinkers world wide thoroughly enjoy their daily glass of wine, and not wasting a drop. But how long can a bottle of wine really last once it has been opened? There are so many different types of wine, that the question must be split up.
The types of wine that stay fresh for the least amount of time are usually sparkling wines, like champagne. Sparkling wines last an average of 2 days. This is if you have a sparkling wine stopper and have placed the bottle in a refrigerator.
White wines, such as Rosé or Moscato, will usually last an average of 6 days with a cork in it and placed in a refrigerator. A fuller bodied white wine, like Chardonnay or Riesling, will stay fresh for a shorter period of time, usually around 4 days with a cork in it and placed in a refrigerator as well.
Red wines, such as Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon, have a similar expiration date to full bodied white wines, where they usually stay fresh up until about 4 days. The difference with red wine, is that it needs to be stored in dark yet cool place, and it must have a cork in it.
If you fancy a fortified wine, such as Sherry, your time of freshness is greatly extended, compared to other wines. You can make a fortified wine last around 28 days stored in a cool dark area with a cork in it.
Similar to fortified wines, bag-in-a-box wine can also last somewhere around 28 days. The difference in these two, is that the boxed wine needs to be stored in a refrigerator, as opposed to a cool dark place.
Wine doesn’t necessarily harm you when it has passed its expiration. It just won’t taste very good, and you’ll feel that you’ve wasted money on a fine bottle by letting it go bad before enjoying it.
